Even though the nation has been able to identify its first case of monkeypox, Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire stated on Tuesday that there is no need to postpone or cancel the start of courses on August 22.
Vergeire stated during a news conference that precautions had been taken to ensure the security of the kids returning to traditional classroom settings.
She stated that they will step up the health screening of both children and instructors in conjunction with the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Ang isa sa pinaka-importante, we will be working with the Department of Education on this, would be the screening of children and teachers when they go to school,” she said.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa stated on Monday that they would follow the DOH’s monkeypox recommendations regarding the start of courses in three weeks.
Opening of classes to push through amid monkeypox threat in PH
The DOH reported last Friday that a patient, age 31, who traveled from abroad on July 19 and landed in the Philippines, has already been diagnosed with monkeypox. On Thursday, July 28, a viral test revealed he had it.
Monkeypox was classified as a “public health emergency of worldwide significance” by the World Health Organization on July 23.
In the meantime, Poa stated during a Palace briefing on Tuesday that the start of the School Year 2022 to 2023 will go as planned and that 13.1 million children had already registered.
According to DepEd data, as of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 13,152,065 students had signed up for the new school year.
Of this total, 8,709,114 pupils are in kindergarten, 4,221,840 are in junior high school, 6,118,690 are in elementary school, and 1,940,621 are in senior high school.
According to Poa, this school year’s enrollment turnout is “significantly higher” than it was the previous year.
“It does appear from the trend that our learners are excited to go back to in-person classes na po simply because marami rin sa ating mga learners in the previous, walang access sa remote learning,” he added.
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