Thailand-
Thai schools were given permission by the CCSA (Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration) to return to full classes and school schedules, albeit still with strict hygiene and physical distancing rules, today for the first time in five months in Thailand.
Schools had previously been on a variety of so-called “new normal” programs such as having alternate days for students, heavily reduced classroom sizes, having some students work from home or remotely and other similar plans.
Today marked the first day nationwide that schools were allowed to resume normal school schedules and increase classroom sizes, although authorities have stressed that precautions must still be taken.
Those precautions include temperature checks before school as well as hand washing stations and enforcement of physical distancing. Mask wearing is mandatory at all times ins schools for the majority of students. Some activities and extras, such as playgrounds and group activities, are still not taking place.
The CCSA has said they are concerned due to reports from other countries that, although youth appear not to get sick from Covid-19 as often as elderly or those with health conditions, they could be a major source of asymptomatic carriers and carry higher viral loads of the virus.
Thailand has not had a single locally spread case officially confirmed in almost 80 days.
Additionally, students at many schools are reportedly being told to track their activities after school and who they hang out with and hand this to teachers each day as a report to help “stop the spread of Covid19”, which has caused both controversy and criticism.