Isolation requirement maintained until 23 days prior
Preemptive testing to disappear from May
Support for confirmed students to take final exams decided
As the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continues, children are heading to school on the morning of the 2nd, when elementary, middle, and high schools reopened, at Geumyang Elementary School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
Starting in May, all students will return to normal in-person attendance without flexible academic operations or remote classes. Confirmed COVID-19 cases will still be required to quarantine for 7 days, but they will be allowed to take final exams.
According to the revised attendance, evaluation, and record guidelines announced by the Ministry of Education on the 29th, students confirmed positive after May 1 will be prohibited from attending school for 7 days and will be marked as excused absences. Following the revision of the infectious disease classification for COVID-19 to level 2, the Ministry of Education will operate a transition period from May 1 to 22, during which quarantine obligations will remain until separate guidelines are provided. Even if real-time remote classes are provided in the classroom for some students who are prohibited from attending school, their attendance will still be recorded as excused absences.
An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "Attendance will be allowed after the 7-day quarantine period, and quarantine for confirmed students will be maintained until separate guidelines are issued."
2022 Academic Year Attendance, Evaluation, and Record Guidelines for COVID-19 Response: Criteria for School Attendance Suspension for Confirmed Cases and Suspected Symptomatic Individuals, and Types of Supporting Documents (Source: Ministry of Education)
Guidelines for COVID-19 Infection Prevention Management in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, and Special Schools (Source: Ministry of Education)
According to the COVID-19 academic infection prevention management plan for kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools, proactive testing using rapid antigen test kits will also be discontinued starting in May. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has stockpiled kits equivalent to 30% of unconfirmed individuals and staff until the second week of June in preparation for emergencies. Contact tracing investigations will be transitioned to school autonomous management. If a confirmed case occurs in the same class, only one diagnostic test will be conducted within 24 hours for symptomatic individuals and high-risk groups. Regarding masks worn indoors, while KF80 or higher masks were previously recommended, droplet-blocking masks will now also be permitted.
Although remote classes for quarantine purposes will end, remote classes at the class level may still be operated if the COVID-19 infectious disease situation becomes severe. The Ministry of Education has included "home study" as a reason for approval of off-campus experiential learning and recommends maintaining the number of days around 57.
Since quarantine obligations will change to recommendations after the 23rd, the Ministry of Education has announced support to allow confirmed students to take final exams. Until the 22nd, when quarantine obligations remain, confirmed students will be marked as absent for midterm exams and other evaluations but will be granted recognized scores. Students with suspected symptoms may take exams after the school principal confirms results from screening clinics, designated medical institutions, or rapid antigen test kits. Students whose quarantine has been lifted within 45 days after confirmation will have their eligibility determined based on a doctor's diagnosis.
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