2 Schools Suspend Classes

SINGAPORE clocked its highest number of H1N1 cases in a day with 145 new patients on Sunday. Three of the now 599 confirmed cases are Ministry of Education (MOE) teachers from Presbyterian High, Westwood Secondary School, and Hai Sing Catholic School.

THE Ministry of Health said that although the number if infected cases has increased, 'the severity of the disease remains relatively mild'.

MOH added that with more local cases of infection appearing, Singaporeans should exercise good hygiene practises and be social responsible. This is to protect members of the community, such as young children and pregnant women, who are more vulnerable to the virus.

145 NEW CONFIRMED CASES OF INFLUENZA A (H1N1)
To prevent a spread of the disease, staff and students who were in close contact with the infected teachers have been advised to take Leave of Absence (LOA) for seven days.

As a result, Presbyterian High and Westwood Secondary will postpone school opening by a week. Hai Sing Catholic will operate as usual as only a small percentage of staff is affected.

70 staff members from Presbyterian High will be asked to take LOA from school as the infected teacher came into contact with teachers on several occasions. While no students were affected at Presbyterian, 58 students from Westwood Secondary will be placed on LOA.

Hai Sing Catholic School will not suspend classes because only six members of staff have been asked to take LOA.

While students at Presbyterian and Westwood do not have to attend school, they will be provided with Home-Based Learning (HBL) lessons. These will be coordinated by staff who were not in close contact with the infected teachers.

For students scheduled to take their 'O' Level Mother-Tongue oral examinations on July 2 and 3, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) will make arrangements for them to take the exams later.

MOE added that all affected staff, students and their parents are being contacted by the respective schools. MOE has also 'advised schools to avoid situations which bring all their staff and teachers together'.