PETALING JAYA: The National Parent-Teacher Associations Consultative Council (PIBGN) supports the Health Ministry's proposal to enforce the wearing of face masks in schools once again.
Its president Associate Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Ali Hasan said the measure would help curb a surge in Covid-19 cases following the spread of the XBB.1.16 variant, also known as Arcturus.
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"Basically we want to take care of the health of not only ourselves but the public.
"So, schools need to be prioritised.
"There is currently an increase in Covid-19 cases, in addition to various diseases and dangerous viruses affecting the public.
"We also see that the healthcare demand in hospitals is increasing.
"Due to these aspects, all parties need to take precautions to ensure prevention, as we believe recovery is more expensive than prevention.
"Therefore, wearing of face masks is strongly encouraged and we agree with the Health Ministry's recommendation," he told Sinar Harian on Thursday (April 27).
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Meanwhile, Mohamad Ali said Covid-19 self-test kits should be provided to students, if possible by the Education Ministry, or any other party.
He said this would ensure effective monitoring that would curb the spread of Covid-19 in schools.
