Regular testing for teachers optional

February 4, 2021

The arrangement of all school teachers and staff to undergo regular COVID-19 testing is an option for schools to have an opportunity to resume face-to-face classes as early as possible, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said today.

 

The Government announced yesterday that schools can arrange more students to return to campuses after the Lunar New Year holiday, adding that if all teachers and staff can be arranged to undergo regular virus testing once every two weeks, such schools will have the conditions to fully resume half-day face-to-face classes.

 

At a media session in the Legislative Council, Mr Yeung explained why teachers are encouraged to participate in regular testing.

 

He said: "I must say that in the school set-up, the school management and the teachers must have a bigger responsibility than the students because they are there to provide education for the students.

 

"As I said, as a government, we would like to ask every citizen to undergo a COVID-19 test as far as possible because this is one of the measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic. But for this particular measure or initiative that we are now proposing, it's just an option.

 

"We are just allowing those schools, whose teachers are very willing to do the testing, another option of an opportunity for them to have the whole school to resume face-to-face lessons at the earliest opportunity.

 

"Of course, teachers, as the educators, as well as the carers of students, they have to look at the interest of the students. If they are willing, we appreciate very much that they are willing to do the tests just to offer more protection to the students."

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