While most schools throughout Indonesia are expected to reopen for in person learning in January, Denpasar Officials have other plans. They have postponed the in person learning for schools till March 2021 due to high transmission rate of corona virus in the city.
“Based on deliberations from relevant parties, we will postpone face-to-face learning until March 2021,” I Wayan Gunawan, the chief of Denpasar’s Education, Youth and Sports Agency said today.
City health agency data shows transmission rate of city at 26.3% which means 26 out of 100 people are testing positive. This is based on the data of the test even though lack of proper testing has been citied as a critical issue throughout Indonesia's handling of corona virus.
“Imagine if the kids test positive for COVID-19, they have to go into isolation or be treated in the hospital without [their parents], how it will affect their mental health. So we are prioritizing the children’s health,” Gunawan said.
Almost 70 teachers have tested positive for corona virus in the neighboring Badung Regency out of 2559 who went through the testing in last two weeks. Officials have confirmed a low positivity rate of 2.57 percent among the teachers. ased on those numbers, adding that the teachers may have been infected by their household members as they have been working from home. In addition, teachers who tested positive were placed in isolation at a quarantine facility.