MoSD asks nurseries not to admit students from nCoV-hit countries
The Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) has asked owners and managers of nursery schools to take precautions to ensure the safety of children.
MoSD has said that nurseries must not admit children from countries where the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread or those who have travelled to these countries in the past six months. ‘Nurseries can admit them after conducting medical check-ups and submitting the report to us,’ the ministry stated.
MoSD has said that parents should not send their children to nurseries if they are suffering from high fever, cold, cough, pharyngeal congestion and have difficulty in breathing. ‘Each nursery should provide sterilisation equipment to children and the staff.’
MoSD said that children and staff must wash their hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of any disease. ‘Parents must not be allowed to enter the nursery schools. Students must be dropped and picked at the school gates.’
MoSD has also said that it will not approve the training of any Omani and non-Omani staff in a nursery school without a medical examination approved by the Ministry of Health (MoH). Meanwhile, MoH has asked the public not to pay heed to rumours related to the coronavirus and get information from official sources.
Beijing, China - Wearing a mask and plastic gloves to protect himself from infection, an Uzbek student is among a rush of foreigners trying to fly out of virushit China to wait things out overseas.
With businesses closed for at least another week, classes suspended and airlines cancelling flights, many foreign students and workers see no reason to stay in the country while it struggles with the viral epidemic.
At Beijing’s international airport on Sunday, the 19 year old Uzbek student said he was heading home because his parents were worried about the virus.
“Maybe I will give up studying here,” said the Yangzhou University student, who asked to be identified only as Max.
Calling the situation ‘dreadful’, he expressed concern over the rising death toll and the restrictions other countries have imposed on travellers from China.
After the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency, several countries - including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Israel - have barred foreign nationals from visiting if they had recently been in China.
The travel bans have left many jittery.
‘No reason to stay’
A 46 year old American said she was worried her flight home would be cancelled at the eleventh hour.
“My only hope is that I can go home. I have been standing here checking the flight schedules for any changes,” she said. “I can’t be sure until the last minute.”
Others, such as 22 year old Jamie Bosch, are leaving because of work.
“We can’t do anything, and everything is closed,” said the English teacher. “You can’t see your friends. There’s nothing to do, so I just decided to go home.”
Bosch, who is from South Africa, said she was worried if she did contract the virus, she would be isolated, with no family support.
“(My family) said I need to go home,” she said, adding that she would return when school reopens in March.
Icaro Medeiros (22) a student at Beijing’s Central University of Finance and Economics, said his family cancelled their planned February visit to China after Beijing closed off tourist attractions such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City.
“I decided to leave Beijing because we are not sure when the semester will start again,” he said. “All of my friends have returned home, so there wasn’t any reason for me to stay in Beijing alone.”
Chinese citizens too have seen their plans derailed.
Wang Yulu (46) was on her way to the airport with her daughter on Saturday when they learned that Australia had barred non-citizens arriving from China. Her daughter was due to begin a university semester in Australia, but the pair were forced to turn back to Changchun city in northeast China even before they arrived at the airport.
All of my friends have returned home, so there wasn’t any reason for me to stay in Beijing alone
Icaro Medeiros