Jiangsu schools preparing to reopen
(english.jsjyt.edu.cn) Updated：2020-03-26
Schools throughout East China's Jiangsu province are gearing up for the new semester after the longest winter break in history.
The move comes after the provincial educational department announced the specific dates that school will reopen, with different grades resuming at different times, as the COVID-2019 epidemic subsides throughout the province.
Students in grades 9 and 12 will return to school on March 30, while those in other grades will return after April 7.
College students will return after April 13.
Schools across the province have introduced measures to avoid the spread of infection after reopening.
Shen Feng, deputy head of the education bureau of Xuanwu district, Nanjing, said that all teachers and students in the district are required to report their health conditions and travel history during the vacation.
Local educational authorities will soon assess the protective measures taken by primary and middle schools and only those that pass evaluation will be allowed to reopen.
Dong Wenhua, principal of the Youfuxi Street Kindergarten in Nanjing, said that the school will ask parents whether they plan to send their children back to school ahead of time and if not, the kindergarten will offer them online services.
Numerous schools with more than 1,000 employees and students in the province have installed infrared thermometers, including the Hexi branch of Nanjing Jinling Middle School, which installed the equipment at its front gate on March 23. It can measure the temperatures of up to seven people in just 0.2 seconds.
The school, which has more than 7,000 teachers and students, will also open more entrances and ask students to enter at different times according to their grade.
In addition, the school has stocked 2.5 tons of 84 disinfectants and 20,000 masks.
Guaranteeing safety while dining is also something that many parents are concerned about.
Measures taken by schools include opening two different entry and exit channels in canteens, asking people to dine at different times, installing temporary isolation panels on each table, and having meals delivered.
Yan Tingyu, vice principal of the Hexi branch of Nanjing Jinling Middle School, said the school will deliver food to classrooms and offices so as to avoid crowding in the canteen.
Schools are also adjusting teaching plans for students in grades 9 and 12 to minimize the impact of the epidemic on their preparations for university and senior high school entrance exams.
