KEDAH has shut 15 schools since January 18, when 525 students and 25 teachers were found to have contracted the coronavirus in education clusters.

State Religious, Education and Human Resource Committee chairman Najmi Ahmad said of the 15 learning institutions, 13 are day boarding schools and two, normal schools.

The Education Department has been ordered to continue to monitor and ensure standard operating procedure compliance to curb the spread of Covid-19 at learning institutions.

“We ask parents to take note of the situation and cooperate with relevant authorities to tackle the spread of the virus.

“The situation is under control and infected students have been placed at low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centres.”

The Kedah Health Department announced that 10 education clusters have been detected involving schools in multiple districts, including Kulim, Kubang Pasu, Kuala Muda, Pendang and Yan.

All affected schools are closed for a week or depending on the risk evaluation in their area.

Najmi said of the 30,400 primary and secondary school teachers in the state, 162 have yet to get their Covid-19 jab.

These teachers are not allowed to come face-to-face with students and placed separately to ensure safety of students and other teachers, he added.

“Some have given their excuses or reasons for not being vaccinated.” – Bernama, January 24, 2022.