HCMC – Over 17 million students across the country returned to school today, February 7 after the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, and the year-long school closure due to the Covid pandemic.
Although Vietnam relaxed most anti-pandemic measures in October 2021, almost all students had taken online classes since early last year.
The Ministry of Education and Training will inspect the operations and the obligation with Covid-safe measures at certain schools in some regions to ensure safety for the students, teachers and school staff.
The ministry asked all schools to offer timely support for the students when they return to school and equip them with Covid infection prevention and control knowledge and skills.
In Hanoi, students in areas with low or moderate risk of Covid transmission will attend in-person classes on February 8.
In HCMC, schools reopened for seventh-12th graders today, while students of kindergartens and grades first to sixth are allowed to return to school following parental permission. The city has been classified as a “green” zone, equivalent to low risk of Covid infection, for five consecutive weeks.
In a related announcement, the Government has approved the purchase of 21.9 million doses of the Pfizer Covid vaccine for children aged between five and 11.
The Government also agreed to choose contractors for the vaccine purchase as required by the Law on Bidding.
The Ministry of Health is responsible for the purchase and administering of the Pfizer vaccine to children aged between five and 11.
The vaccine will be administered on a voluntary basis but the healthcare sector has encouraged parents to allow their children to get vaccinated.
