Primary school pupils to undergo weekly Covid-19 tests

Primary school pupils to undergo weekly Covid-19 tests

At least 10% of the student population will be tested in turns every week.

The Covid-19 tests would be done on a rotation basis to avoid new clusters from emerging. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA:
Primary schools will need to test at least 10% of their student population every week as part of the national Covid-19 testing strategy (NTS), from Monday.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said these tests would be done on a rotation basis to avoid new clusters from emerging.

“The pupils, who are below the qualifying age to receive the vaccines, will need to undergo weekly testing, with at least a 10% rate of the students within the school.

“They will have to be tested in turns with a different group of pupils each week, regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not,” he said at a press conference today.

“If they are symptomatic, they must definitely get tested.”

He added that the NTS, which is set to be unveiled on Monday, will include guidelines on who needs to be tested and when, and what kind of tests they would need to take.

Malaysia has approved vaccinations for those over the age of 12, with vaccinations for those below that age expected to begin sometime next year.

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