Positive attendance in Sabah on first day of school

A kindergarten pupil given hand sanitiser before she was allowed to enter class in Penampang.

KOTA KINABALU: A positive attendance rate in full compliance with Covid-19 standard operating procedure was recorded in Sabah on the first day of school for kindergarten pupils as well as Forms Five and Six students.

Sabah Education Department director Datuk Mistirine Radin said initial reports gathered was that the attendance was positive.

“But we will have the final numbers later in the afternoon, ” she said on Wednesday (Jan 20).

She said all department officials had visited schools around the state to ensure full adherence to the SOP including the taking of temperature, hand sanitising and physical distancing.

Mistirine said there shouldn’t be any problem with observing the SOP as students and teachers had been through it last year.

Asked about the recent reports of hostel students testing positive for Covid-19, she said these students were tested before they returned to their hostels.

“Therefore, none of them had stepped into their hostels before their results were out and there is no need to worry.

“We did not have any transmission from and in schools before this, so we hope to keep it that way, ” she said.

Mistirine also expressed her relief that no schools had to be closed due to floods statewide.

A total of 21 primary schools in Beaufort, Beluran, Kota Belud and Tuaran were hit by floods but the pupils have all commenced their classes from home.