HCMC – The Danang Department of Education and Training has decided to allow kindergartens in the city to reopen from February 21.

Under the decision, kindergarteners in areas at low, moderate or high risk of Covid transmission will return to in-person classes on a voluntary basis, the local media reported. After reopening, kindergartens must comply with anti-Covid measures to ensure the safety of children and teachers. The municipal department also asked kindergartens to proactively contact parents of children to determine the number of children attending in-person classes and then decide when to reopen. Due to the Covid pandemic, Danang City allowed students to study online at home from May last year. On February 10, the municipal government decided to bring secondary- and high-school students back to in-person classes from February 14. Primary-school students and kindergarteners will return to school next week. The country has seen 55 of 63 cities and provinces allow kindergarteners to return to school, while eight other localities – Hau Giang, Tra Vinh, Hung Yen, Vinh Long, Hanoi, Phu Yen, An Giang and Tien Giang – have yet to decide when to reopen kindergartens. Over the past few days, Danang City has reported 700-900 Covid cases on average each day. Since January 1, the city has confirmed over 34,000 Covid infections. Elsewhere in Hanoi City, after nine months of staying at home due to the pandemic, over 400,000 students from grades 1 to 6 in the city’s 12 urban districts will return to school from February 21. The decision was made on February 15 following the Hanoi Education and Training Department’s proposal. Only schools in areas at low or moderate risk of Covid spread are allowed to reopen, according to the decision. The city had no areas at high or extremely high risk as of February 11. Besides, the city has yet to allow some 600,000 kindergarteners to return to school.