Schools getting ready for students' return
Zhang Yi (right), principal of Luwan Middle School, welcomes a "student" back to school during a drill.
A "student" washes her hands before entering Luwan Middle School.
With graduating students due back at school on Monday, some middle and high schools are using temperature screening cameras, information collection systems, intelligent hand disinfection devices and other tools to protect against the novel coronavirus.
At Luwan Middle School in Huangpu District, an anti-epidemic section has been added to the school’s management app to record the health of faculty and students.
“We have done a thorough survey among all students and faculty with the app,” said Zhang Yi, the school principal. “They submitted information, including travel and close contact history, health condition, daily commute vehicles, time spent on the way and green health codes, into the app so that we can know exactly about them.”
After the school resumes normal classes, Zhang said, students and faculty have to measure their temperature at home and input the information into the system, and those with temperature higher than 37.3 degrees Celsius should ask for sick leave and seek medical treatment.
The faculty and the students will enter via two different gates.
A worker pastes tape on the ground in front of Luwan Middle School so students can keep a proper distance from each other when waiting to enter the school.
A line outside Luwan Middle School during a drill.
On Wednesday morning, Shanghai Daily observed a drill of how students will spend a day in the school under strict virus prevention measures. Five students in the drill were played by teachers.
Before entering school in the morning, they walked over a blanket soaked with disinfectant and their temperatures were measured by a thermographic camera. An alarm went off when one showed a temperature above 37.3 degrees. She was then guided by a health teacher in full protective gear to a room for observation. Her belongings were disinfected and her parents called when her temperature remained high.
A health teacher checks the temperature of a "student" in the observation room.
“When her parents arrive at the gate of the school, the teachers would accompany her to the gate,” said Zhang. “The teacher will tell the parents to send her to a fever clinic for treatment and a diagnosis report will be sent to the teacher. She can return to the campus only when she has recovered with a medical certificate.”
Students’ temperatures will also be checked before lunch, with other checks during the day if teachers see anyone with symptoms of discomfort. All abnormalities will also be recorded in the app.
“With the information technology, every student, every class, every grade and the whole school will have a record respectively,” said Zhang.
Teachers at Luwan Middle School check their temperature.
Teachers at Luwan Middle School check the temperatures of "students" before lunch.
The system also records reservations for meeting rooms, music classrooms and labs and their disinfection history.
“All the special rooms will have to be reserved for use and disinfected and ventilated for at least an hour before they can be used again,” the principal said.
There are also books, online classes and other materials for faculty and students to learn about the virus and how to protect themselves.
The school has also prepared a package of preventive items for each student, containing five masks, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant tissues and guidance on virus prevention.
There are bottles of hand sanitizer in front of each classroom at Luwan Middle School.
A "student" has lunch at her desk during a drill.
Zhang said they had also worked out procedures for students to hand in homework to reduce the risk of cross infection. Students have to put their homework on a platform and one student will be responsible for delivering it to the teacher’s office. Teachers will have to disinfect their hands first before checking it.
Zhang said the school will not be hurrying into busy teaching schedule immediately after students return.
“We will let them adjust to the new study environment gradually and restore confidence,” she said. “We will also assess their online learning achievements to work out teaching plans. There will be themed classes for students to rectify shared problems and individualized tutorship for some needing extra help. We will keep the online learning platform for teachers to answer students’ questions.”
Wang Yiqun, principal of Weiyu High School, demonstrates an intelligent hand disinfection device.
Principal Wang Yiqun of Weiyu High School demonstrates its hand washing facilities.
At Weiyu High School in Xuhui District, about 300 graduating students will return next week, and half of them will live in dorms on campus.
Principal Wang Yiqun said they have drawn flowsheets for boarding and non-boarding students on how to handle emergencies and with answers to 18 questions that might be asked, covering topics from morning screenings and protection at home and school to psychological services.
Students will be divided into several batches and return in different time periods. As parents will not be allowed to enter the campus, boarding students will tag their name, class and dorm room number on their luggage so that faculty can help with delivery.
Wang said they have prepared enough masks and other protective items for all its 1,400 students to use for a month.
It has also turned six four-bed dormitory rooms into quarantine rooms with each equipped with a medical air purifier. Students temporarily ruled not to have a coronavirus infection but are still suffering from fever or flu will be quarantined there for observation.
A dormitory room being turned into a quarantine room at Weiyu High School.
In front of the canteen, 10 pedal-triggered taps and four intelligent hand disinfection devices have been installed. Several lines of tables and stools have been removed so students can keep a distance from each other when picking up food.
The canteens will only offer packed food during the pandemic but the school will ensure they have different dishes from Monday to Friday, said Wang.
Wang also asked parents to prepare some milk for children so as to increase nutrition and ensure their immunity.
Zhang Wenhong, head of Shanghai's COVID-19 treatment team, has said that food such as milk, eggs and steak are high in protein which is important in resisting a virus.
He also asked parents to protect themselves so as to avoid infecting their children.
Wang also asked parents to reduce unnecessary outdoor activities at weekends.
The Shanghai Education Commission said it is now inspecting school resumption plans and preparations.
Security guards, temporary observation areas, temporary quarantine areas, dorms, canteens, school clinics and toilets are key areas to be checked.
Those failing inspection will not be allowed to reopen.
Protective supplies at Weiyu High School.
A teacher at Luwan Middle School checks its protective supplies.
