Students can still continue their lessons through WhatsApp or Telegram applications, a circular issued by the state Education Department read. File Photo
KUCHING: Schools in Sarawak can use messaging applications to conduct lessons for students who are under self-quarantine as a precaution against the Wuhan coronavirus, said a circular issued by the state Education Department.
The circular was issued following the state disaster management committee meeting yesterday, as a standard operating procedure for schools to prevent an outbreak of the virus.
The department required schools to identify students who have traveled to China in the past two weeks and advise them to undergo the self-imposed quarantine for 14 days.
“During the isolation period, students can still continue their lesson through WhatsApp or Telegram applications,” said the circular signed by the state Education Director Dr Azhar Ahmad.
Schools are also told to take other precautionary measures including conducting temperature checks at their entrance as well as to alert students or school staff with symptoms such as fever, cough, flu or shortness of breath to seek immediate treatment at a nearby hospital or clinic.
“In light of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of Health has urged all education personnel to be prepared at their respective district levels to deal with a potential outbreak of the virus,” the circular said.
Earlier today, the Health Ministry confirmed Malaysia’s eighth case of the novel coronavirus case involving a 49-year-old woman from China who is quarantined in Johor’s Hospital Permai.
Almost eight thousand confirmed cases have been reported, most of which are in China where the outbreak was first detected in Wuhan in the province of Hubei.
So far, 170 deaths have been reported and they have been confined to China.