Health Ministry Unveils Strict COVID-19 Protocol for Schools Ahead of New Term

Parents of students and all actors in the school world, after being informed of the start date of the school year and the teaching model to be provided, must comply with this protocol, which places particular emphasis on respecting distancing, reports Aujourd’hui Le Maroc. School authorities are invited to ensure greater distancing between preschool students, not to mention managing the influx of students and implementing signage.

The protocol recommends "organizing students in at least two shifts". The same document insists on the use of hydroalcoholic solution and the disinfection of shoes. It also prohibits any gathering of parents at the gate and inside the school.

Compliance with distancing also extends to the transportation of children. The bus capacity must not exceed 50%, the same document recalls. Hand disinfection, temperature taking and the use of masks are required before boarding. As for public transportation, it is prohibited for all students. The same preventive measures must also be applied to catering and in boarding school dormitories. Regarding meals, the ministry calls for cleanliness of kitchens and utensils as well as "extending the catering service to avoid overcrowding in canteens".

As for compliance with measures in boarding schools, it is strongly recommended that only one student be assigned to a bedroom. Temperature taking before entering and leaving the boarding school is strongly recommended.

Managers are invited to appoint a focal point to "coordinate prevention operations, hold a coordination meeting at the level of each establishment, provide a listening mechanism for students, or even offer the possibility of working remotely for any person suffering from a chronic illness". A space must also be set aside in the establishment to isolate cases with symptoms, it is further required. In addition, a telephone number (114) has also been made available for the management of confirmed cases or in case of suspicion.