DOH sees no need to suspend classes for now due to nCoV

The Department of Health is not encouraging schools at the moment to suspend classes as a precaution against the deadly novel coronavirus.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued the statement after some Chinese-Filipino schools in Manila opted not to hold classes on Monday supposedly to prevent any possible transmission of the virus that was discovered in China.

“It’s not within our interim guidelines - the suspension of classes at this point. There has been no communication coming from the WHO with regard to an advisory that is related to that,” Duque told reporters in Malacañang. 

“I really do not know, I’m not privy to it. We will try to find out, get to the bottom of the reasons why they decided to do so.”

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said private schools “have greater degree of autonomy” than public schools.

“[W]e remind them that if they do suspend, these are their own decisions but they have to conduct make up classes,” she said.

Tiong Se Academy in Binondo was among the schools that required their students and staff to undergo a two-week quarantine if they or their relatives just came back from China and Hong Kong for the Spring Festival.

Uno High School in Tondo implemented the same and assured that the quarantine time will not bear any negative effect on the students' grades or class standing.

Some schools said they would require students and staff to wear face masks and bring alcohol once classes resume.

Meanwhile, Duque asked the public not to spread wrong information about the novel coronavirus.

“Let us not be [a] party to the viral spread of infodemic - to the viral spread of false, fake news,” he said.

“This will not do any good to the issues that we all ought to come together to address in the most objective manner, evidence-based and science-based.” —LDF, GMA News