Schools to Remain Open Amid COVID-19 Surge in Thailand

Schools will remain open despite the rise in COVID-19 cases among students and staff in Thailand, as per the National News Bureau of Thailand on Sunday. Schools in Thailand only reopened officially almost two months ago on May 17.

Despite the surge, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Supat Champathong said there are no plans yet to close any schools and added that face-to-face classes remain the best learning environment for students.

He has called on schools to strictly follow health measures, which include wearing face masks, practising hand hygiene and social distancing, regular temperature checks, and keeping classrooms ventilated, as per the report.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Christian College and Patumwan Demonstration School under Srinakharinwirot University have switched to online learning following COVID-19 outbreaks among staff and students.

Almost 700 students and 70 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bangkok Christian College, according to The Nation Thailand on July 7. The prestigious boys' school will conduct online classes on July 11, 12, 18, and 19, and will resume physical classes on July 20. Patumwan Demonstration School has also switched to online learning from July 8-12 and will resume onsite learning on July 18, as per another The Nation Thailand report on July 8.

Health authorities expect COVID-19 infections to rise in the next 10 weeks in Bangkok and other provinces due to the ingress of tourists, The Bangkok Post reported on July 5.

"Higher vaccination rates are slowing the rise in new infections which is predicted to peak in September when about 4,000 new cases are expected per day," Dr. Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology, was quoted as saying.

He added that the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants are foreseen to become dominant in Thailand.