Based on checks by FMT, parents were receptive to the ministry’s proposal for compulsory wearing of face masks.
Nurul Ain Mohamad, 31, backed the proposal, saying that the health of her children was more important than their discomfort.
“Parents should not just prioritise their children’s comfort when it comes to masks. Instead, they should explain the importance of wearing a mask to their children,” she told FMT.
Another parent, 35-year-old Nik Nur Amira Salehuddin, said schools should also give pupils some flexibility when the children find it uncomfortable to wear masks for long periods.
The parent of a Year One pupil, Ainur Hidayah Hassim, 38, said her child had become used to wearing a mask outside their home.
“We’ve been masking up wherever we go,” she said, adding that schools could specify times for students to put on their masks.
“Perhaps they can remove their face masks once in a while, based on teachers’ supervision,” she said.
Ainur Fitrah Hassim, 31, said that children with a cough or a slight cold should be made to wear masks. They should be made to stay home if their illness worsens.
On Wednesday, health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said she would hold an urgent meeting with education minister Fadhlina Sidek before schools reopen on May 2.
As a precaution, any new rules for schoolchildren will be issued before schools reopen after the Hari Raya break, she said.
Nasron Nasir, head of a parent-teacher association, agreed that preventive steps must be taken, but said the compulsory use of masks should be a temporary measure.
He said the authorities should take into consideration the financial hardship of some families, with some pupils forced to use the same mask for several days, putting themselves at risk of infection.
Masks should not be required for the long term, he said, taking into account the discomfort, restriction on movement and whether families are able to provide a fresh mask for their children every day.
Twelve cases of the Arcturus variant have been detected, six in the Klang Valley and the rest in Sarawak.