School Conducts Trial Run for Students’ Return

Schools in Beijing have begun to participate in reopening drills conducted by teachers and school staff who acted in place of the school’s incoming returning students, setting in place operation guidelines by which teachers and students must abide.

Beijing’s No. 12 High School documented their trial run step-by-step to assure the public of students’ safety once they return to school on Apr 27. Apart from the required one meter distancing, students shall gain entry into their respective school premises by use of an electronic card. The students are then expected to have their temperature taken by infrared thermometers. In the event the student’s temperature reading comes back higher than 37.7 degrees Celsius, two consecutive temperature readings shall be conducted with mercury thermometers. Those administering the tests are expected to wear protective clothing. After being escorted to a designated observation area and having their personal information taken, parents will be notified, or an ambulance called, depending on the situation.

Students are also expected to bring three masks which can be changed every four hours, and the discarded masks shall be disposed of in special bins to be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis. Teachers are also expected to undergo the mandatory body temperature checks twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Headmasters of schools are also expected to be on the school premises in advance of the first student. In the event a student shows signs of a fever, the student is to be taken to an observation room while the rest of the class is organized and led into a spare isolation room while the classroom is disinfected.

Students and teachers are also expected to adhere to a strict bathroom routine, with one of three classes on each school building floor rotating during a 15-minute break. Teachers are expected to communicate in advance via WeChat to ensure no two classes are crowding the corridor at the same time. Each class will be allotted five minutes for their bathroom break. No more than three students should be in the bathroom at the same time.

As for lunchtime, students will only be allowed to leave the classroom with permission from a head teacher or person in charge. During lunchtime, two teachers will remain in the classroom while one teacher will lead the students to wash their hands and return before picking up their meals, all while keeping one-meter distance.

Instead of dining in a school cafeteria, lunchtime will now be spent in the classrooms. Lunch will be delivered to the class between 11am and 12pm by staff whose temperature is taken and recorded three times a day. After lunch, any leftovers or trash will be discarded outside the classroom in designated bins.

For boarding students at Beijing No. 12 High School, each dorm will now house no more than three students, which gives each student at least four square meters of personal space in their rooms. In case any student suddenly gets a fever while on campus, their teacher should be contacted immediately through WeChat for a video observation, then sent to an isolated medical observation room where the doctor on staff will be notified.

At the end of the school day, students will be expected to follow the same entry protocol for exiting the school premises. Students should maintain a distance of one meter and are not allowed to talk to each other when exiting.

For non-boarding students, leaving school will be staggered by time and students are required to stay one meter away from each other while leaving campus. With the strict new measures in place, the school and its staff expressed excited anticipation for the return of their students.

Photos: Beijing No. 12 High School