Hong Kong schools group warns it could punish staff if they refuse to take regular Covid-19 tests
- English Schools Foundation sends document to employees outlining plan for full return to classrooms for all pupils
- But more than 400 people sign petition against idea as parents express concerns that move could put children at risk
Teachers at Hong Kong’s biggest international school group could be put on unpaid leave and face disciplinary action if they refuse to take regular Covid-19 tests, the Post has learned.
The revelations followed the English Schools Foundation’s (ESF) decision last week that more than 2,600 staff members at kindergartens and schools must be screened by this week to meet an Education Bureau condition for bringing all pupils back into the classroom.
But more than 400 people have signed an online petition started by a group of ESF parents urging management to reconsider the plan, saying a full return to campus could increase children’s risk of being exposed to the virus.
Under existing infection control measures, ESF schools, like most others in the city, have been able to allow up to one-third of their total student population to return for classes on a half-day basis, after the Lunar New Year holiday ended on February 22.
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Only schools which get all staff tested every fortnight could apply for a full return to class. The latest figures from the bureau showed about 500 of the city’s 2,000 schools, mostly kindergartens, had brought back all pupils or were planning the move.