DBS school heightens COVID-19 prevention measures for maximum safety, ready for the school reopening and welcoming students with a friendly campaign, “Make Today a Happy Day”.
DBS Denla British School is well prepared for the school reopening with comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in accordance with guidelines as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the British and Thai Ministries of Health, to instil confidence and safety throughout the school campus.
DBS School Principal, Mr Mark McVeigh, commented that, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has been monitoring the situation closely for the health and safety of all students and staff. DBS has been strictly following the guidelines from WHO, and the Ministry of Health in both Thailand and the UK, by integrating the recommended guidelines into the school’s Reopening Health and Safety Policy for the benefit and safety of the school as a whole.
“For the students’ return to school, we have prepared a comprehensive range of safety measures to increase the confidence and safety throughout the school campus, which includes recording health details of the students, teachers, and staff for at least 14 days prior to the start of the school reopening. There are also requirements that all staff members must undergo a health check and receive training on the new guidelines, wearing face masks every time they enter the school campus. Medical staff are prepared to conduct screening of students, parents and staff on a daily basis, and anyone found with a temperature equal to, or higher than, 37.5 degrees Celsius will be sent home immediately.
“As for classes, DBS has adjusted the classroom schedules in order to comply with the social distancing measures, which stipulates that classes have staggered lunches, breaks and pick up times. Seating arrangements in the classrooms and cafeteria are rearranged to maintain a safe distance of at least 1-2 metres. Students will also be required to wash their hands regularly prior to every class, as well as after the end of every period. The school has prepared alcohol-based gels for washing hands throughout the school. The building entrances will also be covered with shoe-sanitising carpets to step on. In addition, a cleaning and sanitising team will be dispatched to clean all of the school building at least once a day. They will especially focus on cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces such as lifts, stair railings, doors handles and windows, on an hourly basis. Disinfecting sports equipment and various other facilities will also be conducted immediately after use.
In addition, all students and parents are required to comply with the “Kids to Car” and “Kids to Class” systems, where parents don’t have to get out of their cars and go inside the school building because the school will be providing a drop-off and pick-up area for the students. The teachers will be responsible for bringing the students to the designated area prior to being pick-up by the parents and taking them to the parents’ car upon arrival. Visitors will not be allowed to access the school buildings, but will be required to wait in a designated area. If a person is found to be infected with COVID-19 within the school campus, he/she will immediately be taken to a specially prepared medical room for observations by a medical team. Health officials from the Ministry of Public Health for Nonthaburi province will subsequently be notified immediately for further action.
“Not only are we keeping the school safe, we also maintain the friendly and welcoming DBS approach. When the children come back to school, they should be happy and enjoy their learning just like they did before. Although there are some limitations regarding the environment due to Covid-19, DBS has launched the ‘Make Today a Happy Day’ campaign, meaning that teachers, learning assistants, nurses, and all staff are ready to welcome the students back to school with smiles”, Mr McVeigh concluded.