Busan Office of Education to Implement Full Return to High School Classes Starting from the 28th

Full Inspection Efforts in Areas Such as Quarantine and School Meals for All Schools' Full Return to In-Person Classes in the Second Semester

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Starting from the 28th, all high schools in the Busan area will promote full in-person attendance.

Following the full in-person attendance implemented from the 14th for 36 vocational high schools in Busan, including Meister high schools and specialized high schools where on-site training and employment competency enhancement are urgent, this will be expanded to all high schools.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 22nd that while making thorough preparations for full in-person attendance in the second semester, it will first implement full in-person attendance for general high schools starting from the 28th.

Accordingly, all high schools in the Busan area will be able to conduct full in-person attendance from the 28th. Each high school will autonomously decide whether to proceed with full in-person attendance by comprehensively considering the school's characteristics, internal quarantine situation, and opinions from school members.

For elementary and middle schools, the current student density standard of two-thirds, implemented under social distancing level 1.5 since May 24, will remain applied for the rest of the first semester.

In the second semester, according to the "Step-by-step Implementation Plan for Full In-person Attendance in the Second Semester" announced by the Ministry of Education on the 20th, thorough preparations for full in-person attendance will be made during the summer vacation, and full in-person attendance will be conducted simultaneously with the start of the second semester.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to schools in the Busan area increased sharply from 29 in March to 98 in April, then decreased to 53 in May and 33 as of June 15.

Since March, the infection rate within Busan schools has been 0.051%, which is lower than the national average of 0.080% across cities and provinces.

As a result of conducting full in-person attendance for vocational high schools over the past week, no particular issues related to confirmed cases have occurred, and it has been identified that the quarantine system in high schools is being maintained relatively stably.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to thoroughly inspect and supplement academic affairs, quarantine, meals, and other areas to prepare for full in-person attendance in the second semester, and will do its utmost to support quarantine personnel and supplies needed by schools.

Superintendent Kim Seok-jun stated, "We will guide students attending full in-person classes to strictly comply with quarantine rules to prevent infections and strengthen quarantine management, especially in relatively high-risk areas such as meal services. We are also focusing on securing school safety nets by inspecting and supplementing quarantine situations in various fields in preparation for full in-person attendance in the second semester."