Countries Strive for In-Person School Activities; Iranian Officials Emphasize Students’ ‘Self-Declaration’

Iranian officials are emphasizing in-person school activities while lacking any program to prevent coronavirus infection among students and school officials, particularly amid the spread of Omicron.

Iran’s Minister of Education has stated that the National Coronavirus Combating Headquarters has been requested to allow schools to operate in-person “as much as possible” and to refrain from closing them.

Yousef Nouri also said that for students to enter schools and participate in exams, presenting a vaccination card or a 15-day PCR test in case of non-vaccination is not mandatory.

The Iranian Minister of Education stated: “Unless a student self-declares that they are sick or have tested positive, in which case they cannot come to school until they recover.”

This comes as no vaccine for children under 12 years old has yet been approved in Iran.

Many countries worldwide are administering the Pfizer vaccine to this age group, but its entry into Iran was banned by the leader of the Islamic Republic and has not been imported for public use to this day.

Iran’s Ministry of Health has considered Sinovac and Pastococok vaccines for children under 12 years old, with Pastococok having been tested on this age group in Cuba.

Iran’s Ministry of Education has announced that so far, 85 percent of students aged 12 to 18 have received their first dose of vaccine and 72 percent have received their second dose.

In other countries, in-person school activities is also one of the biggest challenges these days, but multiple measures have been considered to prevent students from contracting coronavirus.

In the United States, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it will distribute millions of free coronavirus tests to schools across America to keep classrooms open.

Last year, the United States allocated 10 billion dollars to coronavirus testing in schools. The U.S. government is currently distributing 5 million free rapid antigen tests monthly from elementary to high school levels. The White House announced that 96 percent of schools are currently open.

Source: Voice of America