Teachers must be vaccinated for F2F classes

Maira S. Yambao

Department of Education officials said in a media online forum that Teachers and non-teaching staff of the 120 schools identified for the pilot implementation of face-toface classes are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 even if physical classes will be held in low-risk areas.

The DepEd legal department made a study on the instances when health precautions have to be mandatory and not necessarily voluntary. When the safety of the state is concerned the survival of the country is concerned in the time of the pandemic, the state has the right to impose mandatory precautions, officials said.

DepEd had been preparing for the resumption of physical classes for over a year now but is challenged by issues on the safety of learners and teachers.

Officials stand by the belief that should this pilot study continues, there’s a need to ensure the teachers, staff, and officials who will deal with the children have to be vaccinated.

President Rodrigo Duterte was specific when he gave his approval that the DepEd must ensure the pilot implementation will be consistent with health standards imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force, Department of Health (DOH), and relevant laws.

DOH–Technical Advisory Group personnel explained adults must protect the children they will encounter.

As child health professionals, they encourage that all who will be with children, whether they’re at home or in school, they’ll consider that not all children will be vaccinated.

DOH officials meanwhile said that regular testing is not a requirement for teachers and staff to go to schools.

They emphasized that symptomatic screening or assessment of symptoms is observed when deciding whether to test or not for Covid-19.

There still has to be a baseline or medical assessment for all of these workers and teachers and students but testing will not be recommended, they said.

--oOo-

The author is Teacher I at Sta. Cruz Elementary School