SDMC, Education Dept to discuss reopening of schools in Kuching

KUCHING: The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) will discuss with the State Education Department on whether or not to delay the reopening of schools on Aug 3 in Kuching.

SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said that the committee would be discussing and determining the matter today with State Education director Abang Mat Ali Abang Masagus.

“We will discuss and determine in our meeting tomorrow because there have been some pleas in Kuching and some concern from some parents. This is one of the topics we will discuss tomorrow and we have invited the state education director (Abang Mat Ali Abang Masagus) to discuss this matter together,” Uggah said in a press conference yesterday after giving the daily update on Covid-19 in the state.

On July 14, Uggah announced that the reopening of primary and secondary schools in Kuching, Padawan and Samarahan districts would be

We will discuss and determine in our meeting tomorrow because there have been some pleas in Kuching and some concern from some parents. This is one of the topics we will discuss tomorrow and we have invited the state education director (Abang Mat Ali Abang Masagus) to discuss this matter together. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas

postponed to Aug 3 due to the recent development in the local transmission of Covid-19 cases.

A total of 138 primary and secondary schools - comprising 87 in Kuching, 48 in Padawan and three in Samarahan - would have their classes postponed.

Schools in other districts across Sarawak, which had been classified as green zones, resumed classes on July 15 as announced by the Ministry of Education previously.

Kuching yesterday reverted back to a red zone after it recorded 21 new positive cases, of which 16 were local transmissions, bringing the total number of locally transmitted cases in the district to 53 in a 14day period.

Meanwhile, Serian and Lundu districts have turned from green into yellow zones after two locally transmitted cases were recorded in Serian and one case in Lundu.

There are now four yellow zones in Sarawak as Bau and Samarahan districts are also classified as yellow zones.

The Health Ministry classifies districts with over 40 cases in a two-week period as red zones, 40 and below as yellow zones and those with no cases as green zones.