Hướng dẫn liên ngành 21306/HDLN-YT-GDĐT 2021 về phương án phòng chống dịch COVID-19

INTER-SECTORAL GUIDANCE

On the COVID-19 prevention and control plans when detecting COVID-19 confirmed cases (F0), COVID-19 suspected cases, contacts of confirmed cases (F1), contacts of F1 cases (F2)

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I. DIRECTIVE DOCUMENTS

- Decision No. 3638/QD-BYT dated July 30, 2021 of the Ministry of Health on promulgating the “Interim Guidance on Surveillance and Prevention of COVID-19”.

- Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government promulgating the Interim Regulation on “safe and flexible adaptation to, and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic”.

- Decision No. 4800/QD-BYT dated October 12, 2021 of the Ministry of Health, issuing the Interim Guidance for implementation of Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP.

- Decision No. 9472/BYT-MT dated November 8, 2021 of the Ministry of Health on the implementation of Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021 of the Government.

- Official Dispatch No. 4726/BGDDT-GDTC dated October 15, 2021 of the Ministry of Education and Training on organizing the on-site teaching at education institutions.

- Plan No. 895/KH-BGDDT dated September 9, 2021 on ensuring safety in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control of the education sector in the 2021-2022 school year.

- Inter-sectoral Guidance No. 3668/HDLN:SGDDT-YT dated October 25, 2021 on prevention and control of COVID-19 when students return to school in new normal conditions.

- Official Dispatch No. 7020/BYT-MT dated August 25, 2021 regarding quarantine for children for COVID-19 prevention and control.

- Official Dispatch No. 914/BYT-MT dated February 26, 2020 of the Ministry of Health on strengthening the prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic in schools and dormitories.

- Official Dispatch No. 1244/BYT-MT dated March 13, 2020 of the Ministry of Health guiding the handling of cases of fever, cough and shortness of breath recorded in schools.

- Official Dispatch No. 1583/BGDDT-GDTC dated May 7, 2020 of the Ministry of Education and Training on the implementation of pandemic prevention and control measures.

- Official Dispatch No. 4095/UBND-KGVX dated November 19, 2021 of the Hanoi People's Committee guiding home quarantine for contacts of confirmed cases (F1).

II. OBJECTIVES

To ensure safety in the prevention and control of COVID-19 in schools on the principle of “safe and flexible adaptation to, and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic”.

To early detect and timely treat COVID-19 confirmed cases (F0), COVID-19 suspected cases, contacts of confirmed cases (F1), contacts of F1 cases (F2), thus preventing the spread of the COVID-19 in schools and communities.

III. PLANS FOR CASES OF RECORDING COVID-19 CONFIRMED CASES (F0) IN SCHOOLS

1. When F0 cases are recorded in a school

Immediately activate the school's pandemic prevention and control plans in case of recording COVID-19 infected cases.

Immediately report to the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Notify and request the F0 cases not to voluntarily move to other places, not to come into close contact with other people within 1 meter, to wear medical face masks and wait for instructions and treatment. Instruct the F0 cases to move along the routed passage to the temporary quarantine room; Limit the movement by elevator, or arrange a separate elevator for the cases, which must be disinfected as prescribed immediately after use.

Temporarily put the entire school under lockdown and request every class to stay on the spot. Provide accurate information to all staff, teachers, employees and students present at the school, so as not to cause confusion or anxiety among them; strictly require them to make medical declarations and follow 5K rules.

Notify and coordinate with the local health authority (the commune-level health station or the district-level health center) to implement pandemic prevention and control measures. Separate F0 cases and take them to quarantine and treatment at medical facilities as prescribed.

Coordinate with the local health authority to continue investigating, tracing, sampling, quarantining, and scaling the lockdown down to suit specific pandemic situations.

Notes: The temporary lockdown of the area related to F0 cases depends on the movement of F0 cases (students, staff, teachers of one class or multiple classes); the lockdown scale can be the entire school, or each floor/study area, workplace, or classroom related to F0 cases.

Coordinate with the health sector to thoroughly trace F1 cases at the school and in the community.

F1 cases at the school: Make a list of all F1 cases. Notes: All students and teachers in the same class with F0 cases are considered F1 cases, who shall be quarantined right at such classroom. Students and teachers in other classes, who are F1 cases, shall be immediately separated for quarantine as prescribed. Coordinate to take samples of F1 cases for testing as guided by the local health authority; quarantine F1 cases in concentrated quarantined zones as prescribed.

Depending on the epidemiological situation, may immediately collect samples for rapid testing of all students, teachers, and employees who are present at school, or in each zone, block, or floor (For those who are showing suspected symptoms of the disease and F1 cases, individual samples shall be collected. For others, pooled samples shall be collected, with 5 – 10 samples per pool).

F1 cases in the community: Make a list of staff, teachers, students who are contacts of the confirmed cases and their contacts in the community at the request of the local health authority.

Trace F2 cases; consider taking samples of F2 cases if the prognosis suggests that the F1 cases may have become F0 cases and infect F2 cases. Guide F2 cases to quarantine themselves at home or in their accommodations and wait for the test results of F1 cases.

Continue to review and promptly detect students, teachers and employees who are showing symptoms of infection in schools and in the community. Immediately organize the temporary quarantine at the school of the suspected cases and collect their individual samples in a separate area.

Notes:

While waiting for test results: Students, teachers, and employees who are present at the school shall stay on the spot.

Strictly implement infection prevention measures because the risk of infection occurring during the temporary lockdown is remarkably high: any class should stay in such classroom, self-manage and follow 5K rules.

Review all staff, teachers, employees, and students on the management list (the number of people who are present and absent, the number of people on leave or working trip, and others). Trace all F1 and F2 cases using various forms of information, such as: medical declarations made by scanning QR codes at pandemic checkpoints, work schedules, meeting schedules, data from surveillance cameras, monitoring books, information from form teachers, etc.

Zone and disinfect all relevant areas in accordance with the guidance of the local health authority.

Depending on the risk assessment and guidance of the local health authority, the Head of the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control shall decide the reopening of the school.

* Those who have recovered from the disease and have hospital discharge certificates shall continue to monitor their health at home/ accommodations for 14 days before returning to school.

2. When F0 cases who are students, staff, teachers, or employees of the school were recorded out of school hours

Immediately report to the head of the school's and local Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control (in the commune, ward, or district).

Temporarily suspend the school’s activities in order to clean up and disinfect the school, trace F1 and F2 cases, and wait for the test results.

Coordinate with the local health authority (the commune-level health station or the district-level health center) to carry out case investigation and contact tracing, make a list of F1 and F2 cases who are staff, teachers, employees and students at the school. Depending on the pandemic situation, the local health authority will assess the risks and epidemiological factors to take samples of F1 and F2 cases who show symptoms, and the persons related to the school, for testing.

Clean up and disinfect the entire school, especially the working and studying areas of F0 cases.

Depending on the test results of F1, F2 cases and the related persons (if any) as well as the instructions of the local health authority, the Head of the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control shall decide on the reopening of schools.

IV. PLANS OF HANDLING WHEN COVID-19 SUSPECTED CASES, F1 AND F2 CASES ARE RECORDED IN SCHOOLS

1. When COVID-19 suspected cases are recorded in a school

When people showing one of the suspected symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, etc. are detected at school, the following steps shall be taken:

Notify the Head of the school's Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control.

Provide medical face masks and instructions on how to properly wear them for suspected people, students of the class, and those around them.

Request them to limit contact with people around them and avoid contact within less than 01 meter with other people.

Arrange separate passages from the places of suspected cases to the temporary quarantine room. Instruct suspected cases to move along the routed passages to the temporary quarantine room, limit the movement by elevator, or arrange a separate elevator for the cases, which must be disinfected as prescribed immediately after use.

Contact the local health authority for advice and testing for SARS-CoV-2 and, if necessary, take them to medical facilities for examination and treatment.

Do not use public transport to transport suspected cases to medical facilities.

Disinfect relevant areas in accordance with regulations and instructions of the health authority.

Make a list of their classmates and close contacts in order to trace F1 cases if the suspected cases become F0 cases.

2. When F1 cases are recorded in a school

Immediately report to the head of the school's and local Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control (in the commune, ward, or district).

Provide medical face masks and instructions on how to properly wear them for F1 cases, students of the class, and those around them.

Request them to limit contact with people around them and avoid contact within less than 01 meter with other people.

Arrange separate passages from the places of F1 cases to the temporary quarantine room. 

Instruct F1 cases to move along the routed passages to the temporary quarantine room. Limit the movement by elevator, or arrange a separate elevator for the cases, which must be disinfected as prescribed immediately after use.

Provide accurate information to all staff, teachers, employees and students present at the school, so as not to cause confusion or anxiety among them; strictly require them to make medical declarations and follow 5K rules.

Notify and coordinate with the local health authority (the commune-level health station or the district-level health center) to implement pandemic prevention and control measures. 

Coordinate with the commune-level health station to perform rapid antigen tests right at the temporary quarantine room before taking samples for RT-PCR tests; then coordinate to transport them to medical quarantine zones as prescribed.

Coordinate to make a list of F2 cases who are staff, teachers and students of the school; All students and teachers in the same classroom with the F1 cases are considered F2 cases.

F2 cases shall be temporarily not allowed to move out of their classrooms and wait for the guidance from the health sector.

Samples of all F2 cases, who show suspected symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, etc., shall be collected for RT-PCR tests. Coordinate to guide F2 cases to quarantine themselves at home or in their places of residence and wait for the test results of F1 cases.

Clean up and disinfect all relevant areas.

When the RT-PCR test results of the F1 cases are negative, based on the risk and epidemiological assessment, F2 cases may terminate their quarantine as prescribed. The entire school shall be allowed to resume its normal operations, but must strictly follow the 5K rules, self-inspect and monitor the implementation of pandemic prevention and control at the school.

* F1 cases whose quarantine period is sufficient shall continue to monitor their health at home/ accommodations for 14 days after completing the quarantine before returning to school.

3. When F2 cases are recorded in a school

Immediately report to the head of the school's and local Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control (in the commune, ward, or district).

Guide F2 cases to the temporary quarantine room; coordinate with the health authority to collect samples for testing of F2 cases if they show symptoms.

Guide F2 cases to quarantine themselves at home or in their places of residence and wait for the test results of F1 cases and the decision of the Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control of the communes/wards where they live.

If the F1 cases are tested negative, based on the instructions of the health authority on risk and epidemiological assessment, F2 cases may terminate their quarantine as prescribed, but must follow 5K rules.

For F2 cases who are not present at school: let them know by phone or text message and request them to self-quarantine at the places of residence; request F2 cases to notify the health authorities of the commune-level localities where they are living/staying in order to coordinate with them in implementing regulations on pandemic prevention and control.

The health centers are requested to coordinate with the district-level Health Divisions to direct the health stations of communes, wards, and townships to closely coordinate with local schools in promptly handling F0, F1 and F2 cases, preventing the spread of the COVID-19 in schools and communities./.