Physical therapy students in PLM start limited face-to-face classes

A select number of Physical Therapy students from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) on Monday returned to the university for their limited face-to-face classes after more than a year of distance learning.

In a statement, PLM said a number of BS Physical Therapy students had undergone health screening and temperature checking at the entrance before they were allowed to attend their first ever in-person learning session since March 2020, or the month when the government suspended face-to-face classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students wore scrub suit uniforms, face masks, and face shields during their classes inside the laboratory, the university said.

Advisories were posted along hallways, classrooms, and common areas to remind students, teachers and other personnel about physical distancing, the wearing of masks, and proper hand washing and disinfection procedures, it added.

“We at the PLM administration are excited to welcome back our students, although just a limited number for now, inside our campus. We exercise cautious optimism and ensure that minimum health protocols will be enforced at all times to keep members of our community safe,” said PLM president Emmanuel Leyco.

“Preparations are underway to prevent the return to school from becoming a super spreader of COVID-19. In turn, we enjoin our students to strictly adhere to health protocols to prevent the spread of infection."

At the same time, PLM is fast-tracking its preparations to gradually welcome a greater number of students on campus, weeks after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) allowed universities and colleges to conduct limited face-to-face classes in all degree programs but with several conditions.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/809727/limited-face-to-face-classes-in-all-degree-programs-allowed-under-alert-level-2-ched-chair/story/

The PLM administration said it already secured approval for the resumption of limited physical classes for the College of Medicine, as it allowed graduating students to pursue their clinical clerkship at the Ospital ng Maynila.

The PLM revealed their initial plans that senior students, and those enrolled under laboratory classes, will be prioritized for the reopening of physical classrooms, subject to strict health protocols.

Meanwhile, the first batch of students under the College of Nursing (CN) will also have their face-to-face classes on December 7, Tuesday, and 11, Saturday, with a second batch of nursing students scheduled on January 4 and 8, 2022, depending on their block schedules.

Following a series of meetings with students and parents, fourth year students of the College of Nursing will be invited to report to the campus to fulfill their requirements for Intensive Care Nursing skills laboratory. —Jamil Santos/KBK, GMA News