Face-to-face classes are back! Is your school ready to take on the pandemic’s challenges? To help you ensure the health and safety of your students, faculty members, and other staff, here are some of the back-to-school safety tips you can observe in the learning area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. Encourage Catching Up on Complete Shots
One of the best measures to help keep everyone safe is through getting full COVID-19 vaccine doses. On May 10, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Philippines authorizes the expanded age range of the use of Pfizer vaccine to ages 12 and above.
If any one of your students or staff hasn’t gotten their COVID-19 vaccine yet, encourage them to do so to help control the spread of the virus while still following other preventive measures to keep everyone safe.
Make sure to not allow people showing symptoms of any kind to enter the school premises. One way to do this is to have a temperature check at the entrance and a form to fill out stating the health status of each person.
2. Observe Physical Distancing
Fully vaccinated or not, everyone should maintain at least 3 feet apart from each other as much as possible, especially when inside an enclosed area as the COVID-19 virus is most likely to spread through physical contact.
While COVID-19 vaccines can help protect you from getting infected, that’s not 100% guaranteed. Therefore, when having activities like singing, exercising, and such, it is best to use the outdoor space to allow you to spread out.
It’s your duty to always remind students to practice social distancing. Having dedicated persons to check from time to time can help you to keep track. Here are other steps you can do to practice physical distancing in school premises:
- Get rid of lockers.
- Create one-way traffic, especially in school hallways.
- Position the desks accordingly, following the recommended distance and all facing the same direction.
- Make use of physical barriers like partitions.
- Reduce interactive classroom activities like group activities.
3. Promote Good Hygiene
Always clean and disinfect the learning areas including doorknobs, faucets, tables, chairs, boards, and many more. This can prevent getting in contact with the surfaces containing the virus.
Adding up to your back-to-school safety tips, help students make washing of hands a habit to limit the risk and spread of the COVID-19 virus. For younger students, it may be challenging to encourage them, but teaching them to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice while washing can help make it a fun session for them. When the basic needs to wash hands properly aren’t available, give them sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol content.
Apart from these, share important knowledge and practices with students like covering their mouths and noses when they cough or sneeze.
4. Implement Strict Guidelines on Wearing Face Masks
One of the most important and basic back-to-school safety tips you can definitely observe is the proper wearing of a face mask when inside the school premises. It is a proven tool to prevent the spread of the virus as it covers the nose and mouth that are the primary sources of transmission.
Note that even vaccinated people can still be infected. That’s why you should not take exemptions when it comes to wearing of face mask. You may find it even more challenging to implement this guideline to kids as they can be playful at times. It may help to educate them well about its importance.
When implementing the use of face masks, here are a few things you should know:
- The mask should be well-fitted and be worn correctly and consistently.
- Encourage having a backup face mask in their bags.
- Educate everyone about its importance and how to properly use it.
5. Place Air Purifiers in Indoor Areas
Having air purifiers or a good air filtration system can lessen the spread of the virus in an enclosed area. It helps clean the indoor air by capturing airborne particles that cause bacteria and viruses. It can be your partner in keeping everyone on the school premises safe and protected against COVID-19.
But not all air purifiers or air filtration systems are created equal. Some products don’t provide value for money and can even be harmful to your health. Choosing the right air purifier that is efficient and has a good quality can create all the differences. So, better choose wisely when looking for the best air purifier to use.
Tip: When scanning the market for a cost-efficient air purifier that could provide you with the protection you need, you can ask for a demo of the product and test its efficiency through an air quality check.
Let us help you get the quality indoor air you, your people, and your students deserve. We can be your partner in helping protect everyone with your back-to-school safety tips through our affordable yet high-quality air purifiers and air filtration systems. To know more about our products and services, contact us today.