Being a Student in a Pandemic

Although a certain age and occupational group of teachers and parents have been immunized, concerns are increasing with the opening of schools. The most basic solution will be the training to fight against covid-19 that we will give to children. The mask is a challenge for kids who are always on the go. Distance is almost impossible for students in the game period, and hygiene is the most important thing parents worry about. While virus protection was at its maximum during the period of closed schools and online education, it has become more challenging for working families. You can find out in our article what kind of measures could be taken with the reopening of schools and how students will adapt to this process.

What Precautions Should Be Taken for Covid-19 in Schools?

*Hand sanitizer should be placed at the entrance and exit of the school and students should be asked to use it at the entrance and exit.
*Parents should be prevented from entering and exiting schools and an officer should be appointed for this.
*If possible, it should be picked up and dropped off with the same parent instead of using the service.
*All school staff should wear masks, and for those who do not have a mask, there should be a mask at the security entrance.
*It should be supervised by the teachers that the mask is worn according to the rules, and it should be changed at the right frequency, that is, as the mask gets damp and dirty.
*Precautions should be taken with disinfectant in the use of new masks.
*Disinfection should be done at certain intervals in schools.
*The importance of using water and soap to students should be regularly informed by both the family and the school administration, and their habits should be established in this regard.
*The distance between the rows should be increased to be at least 1 meter.
*The interval between recesses should be increased, and one should always sit in the same place in accordance with the distance during the lunch break. In this way, it will be easier to follow up in case of infection.
*School days and the arrival and departure times of the classes should be divided into certain periods, so that students should be kept in the school with minimum capacity.
*Students should cough and/or sneeze into their elbows or disposable tissues.
*Disposable wipes should be used in school toilets, and if possible, door handles should be opened with a tissue and thrown out.

Methods of Explaining Hygiene to Children According to UNICEF TURKEY

Do not pick up your child from school unless your child is showing symptoms such as a fever or cough and there is public health advice or other warning or official instruction that affects your child’s school.
Identify some practical steps/activities you can take to demonstrate good hygiene practices to your students.

Examples include:

*Write a hand hygiene song to sing with your students.
*Have students draw hygiene posters for the classroom.
*Establish a hand hygiene ritual. You can choose a specific time during the day for everyone to wash their hands/apply hand sanitizer, such as before/after lunch.
*Demonstrate how to wash hands and use disinfectants.
*Create a point system in the classroom; Let students earn points when they wash their hands or apply disinfectant.
*Have students prepare an announcement on hand hygiene. Post these posters/announcements where they will be most visible in the classroom or school.

References: “https://www.unicefturk.org/yazi/koronavirus-korunma”

Access Date: 23.06.2021