Bandung City Government Continues Face-to-Face Learning Even Though 244 Students And Teachers Are Exposed To COVID-19

ILLUSTRATION/BETWEEN

BANDUNG - The Bandung City Government has confirmed that it will continue limited face-to-face learning activities (PTMT) even though more than 200 student-teachers have been confirmed to have COVID-19 based on random tests.

Bandung City Secretary, Ema Sumarna, said PTM would continue because the rate of students who were confirmed to be COVID-19 was 3.6 percent of the total tested. The testing, she said, was a program from the Ministry of Health to improve surveillance.

"Cumulatively the results are around 3.6 percent (positive for COVID-19), meaning that it is still below 5 percent. We will return to the regulation if it has not been entered at 5 percent, it is consistent with the PTMT regulation still running", said Ema in Bandung, West Java, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, November 3.

From the latest data from the Bandung City Health Office, 244 people were consisting of students and teachers were confirmed to have COVID-19.

The results were obtained from 214 schools that were used as sampling from a total of about 3,500 schools that held PTM to be used as surveillance. However, if 5 percent of a school is found to be positive, the PTMT in that school must stop temporarily.

"And there are about 54 schools that are currently temporarily suspended. Schools are given time. The rule is 15 days, according to the incubation period", said Ema.

In the 54 schools, according to Ema, it was found that around 5 percent of people were positive for COVID-19 in each school. Of the 54 schools, according to her, 70 percent are senior high schools in Bandung.

According to Ema, students and teaching staff who were confirmed positive were continuously monitored. Currently, 100 percent of people who test positive for PTM are randomized to have mild symptoms. However, according to her, no one has shifted to moderate or severe symptoms.

"This means that from an epidemiological perspective, they have an incubation period of 10 days. Then there is no shift, it means they are cured. So they can return to their activities", she said.