90 Percent Jab Rate Needed For Full-day Classes: Govt

The government announced on Wednesday that schools are required to have all of their staff members and at least 90 percent of students double-jabbed in order to resume full-day in-person classes after their early summer break in April.

Speaking at her daily Covid briefing, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said it was important to boost the inoculation rate among students, especially those aged between 3 and 11. 

She said while 58 percent of pupils from this age group had received one Covid shot, just 11 percent were double-jabbed.

“If we achieve a high vaccination rate among students, schools can resume full-day teaching and organise more extra-curricular activities, including sports,” she said.

Education secretary Kevin Yeung also said a high inoculation rate among students was crucial when it came to minimising the risk of spreading the virus on campus.

“Face-to-face teaching will involve a lot of activities and over a pretty long time, including mask-off activities like lunch. We have to control the risk appropriately,” Yeung said. 

“We respect children’s right to education, so we’re not asking the students to have vaccination as a prerequisite for the resumption of classes.”

If a school is unable to get 90 percent of its entire student population vaccinated, the minister said certain classes which meet the requirement can still begin full-day lessons. 

Others can also resume half-day face-to-face lessons. 

On the university entrance exams, Yeung said the plan is still to hold the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) Examinations as scheduled from April 22, with authorities expected to make an announcement early next month.