Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, schools remained closed for a long time to prevent students from contracting the virus. Measures have been put in place to contain the virus spread, and as the rate of infections falls, schools have finally reopened. However, the virus has not been successfully contained, so preventative measures need to be put in place to protect students.
Teachers will play a key role in ensuring that children are safe. They have to understand how coronavirus spreads, and they can execute measures to curb the spread. Yes, learning is important for children, but it has to be done in a safe environment.
The World Health Organization and Ministry of Health have released some guidelines to prevent the virus spread. While this might work for adults, it will prove to be challenging for children. Here we look at the top measures schools have to implement to prevent the COVID-19 spread.
Social distancing in schools
Coronavirus can easily spread if people are too crowded together. That is why social distancing was introduced to prevent people from inhaling cough droplets from infected people. To prevent the virus spread in school, social and physical distancing rules also have to be applied.
Students should stay at least 1 meter apart from other students or anybody present at school. This rule will not only be practiced outside but also in classrooms. Space will be a challenge for many schools, but institutions can tackle the problem by working with Smart-Space, the UK’s leading provider for temporary building solutions.
Additionally, schools can introduce other measures like limiting the mixing of students from various classes. Students can stay in class until they are released to go home. Signs and markings can also be put in place to encourage children to maintain a distance of 1 meter from each other.
Practicing Personal Hygiene
Curbing the spread of the coronavirus is not an individual responsibility, but a collective one. That is why teachers should make sure children understand how important it is to practice hand hygiene. One child can put the other children at risk if strict hygiene protocols are not adhered to.
Washing of hands regularly is one of the most efficient ways that can be used to prevent the virus spread. The virus can easily find its way into your body or even infect other people in contact with you if you do not practice hand hygiene. Hand washing stations should be placed all over the school with teachers always leading by example to wash their hands.
Regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces
One of the major reasons why it has been difficult to get rid of the coronavirus completely is its ability to stay alive for many hours on surfaces. If these surfaces are not cleaned and disinfected, students can easily contract the virus. That is why it is important to regularly disinfect all the areas that students come into contact with. They include desks, doorknobs, keyboards, and anywhere they usually play.
Staff should use cleaning materials and disinfectants as per the instructions. Schools can also set up sanitizing booths that every child can pass through to help kill any virus on their body or the items they carry.