Senior secondary school grades will resume classes next Tuesday, Secretary for Education & Manpower Professor Arthur Li said today.

Students of secondary three level or above will resume classes as scheduled, whereas class suspension for other levels of secondary schools, primary, special schools and kindergartens will be extended.

"During the class suspension period, I have kept a close eye on the development of atypical pneumonia. After taking into consideration various data, opinions and the fact that the pneumonia might continue to affect us for a long period of time, I have decided to resume classes in phases," he said.

He added that other levels of secondary schools, primary and special schools will continue to suspend classes for one week and resumption is tentatively scheduled for April 28.

Kindergartens will resume classes later due to the extremely young age of their students.

Professor Li said the date and arrangements for class resumption should be dealt with flexibly by individual schools in consultation with parents.

"One of the main reasons for taking forward a blanket class suspension earlier, as I have stressed in my previous announcement, is to alleviate parents' anxiety. Class suspension itself will not stop the spread of the pneumonia. To prevent infection, personal and environmental hygiene is of paramount importance," he said.

Professor Li said that except for cases involving healthcare workers and Amoy Gardens residents, the number of new atypical pneumonia cases in recent days was stable.

As the virus was likely to exist in Hong Kong for some time, classes may not resume for a long period if the Government waits for the full containment of the virus.

Professor Li stressed that all schools should make proper preparation for class resumption and the Government will make every effort to support them.

"We will disseminate to schools tomorrow a comprehensive handbook reiterating the various precautionary measures against atypical pneumonia announced earlier, such as the necessity for schools to cleanse their premises on a daily basis, and teachers and students to pay heed to personal hygiene," he said.

Schools are also reminded that tuck shop, catering, school bus and nanny bus services must maintain their health standards to the highest.

To prepare schools for class resumption, about 4,000 thermoscans will be provided for all schools. About four million facemasks will also be provided if necessary, however, teachers and students are asked to buy their own masks where possible. All students and teachers must wear the masks and have their temperatures checked.

Schools have also been asked to explain to their students personal and campus hygiene-related measures on the first day back to school. The Curriculum Development Institute has also produced an atypical pneumonia teaching module for teachers to use.

The Government will initiate a school cleansing campaign on April 20, and will call on parents to join forces to help out with school cleansing work.

Professor Li stressed that the concerted efforts and co-operation among schools, students and parents were much needed to make school premises a safe place.

Upon class resumption, the Education & Manpower Bureau will demand that schools strictly observe a series of preventive measures against the occurrence of the virus on their premises.

The measures include:

* Parents have to make sure that students are not feeling unwell before sending them to school, look for atypical pneumonia symptoms and check their children's body temperature on a daily basis. They must fill out a form reporting their child's health before they return to school;

* Staff or students who have contact with a confirmed atypical pneumonia patient must undergo home confinement for 10 days before returning to school; and,

* Schools should suspend classes for 10 days once a student or staff member is confirmed to have contracted the virus.

To help schools prepare for class resumption, frontline staff from the bureau's Regional Education Offices will conduct territory-wide school visits to inspect their hygiene condition and render assistance if necessary.

The bureau will continue to monitor the development of the virus closely, and will decide and announce next week the date of class resumption for junior levels of secondary schools, primary schools and special schools.