COVID-19 Government Update 26.02.20

Wednesday 26th February 2020

Dear Parent or Guardian

Re: Urgent Notification – Italy and Iran

Our school has just received an important update from the Ministry of Education. They have issued a directive to include Italy and Iran in the list of high risk areas.

These high risk areas are now Italy, Iran, Vietnam, Malaysia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan or South Korea. If you have returned to Thailand from these countries on or after the 15th February 2020, you must undergo a mandatory self-quarantine for a period of 14 days. All ISAT schools must strictly follow this directive in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you and or your family have visited or transited through Italy or Iran then you will need to self-quarantine with immediate effect. Please note that, according to the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, this applies regardless of whether a student has already attended school. The Ministry has now confirmed that this requirement, for all countries now on the list, also applies in cases of transit through the country. Children and parents that are affected by this should stay at home today or if your child is already in school, please arrange to collect them as soon as possible.

To inform the school that your child is now self quarantining, please do so by completing this short Google Form. If you have already notified the school, there is no need to do this again. If you have any difficulty with the form, please contact the relevant campus coordinator by email:

Primary Campus – Khun Toom: supaksirip@bkkprep.ac.th

Secondary Campus – Khun Bo: kingkarnp@bkkprep.ac.th

If you now need to collect your child(ren) from the Primary and/or Secondary Campus, please call Khun Joy or Khun Mod on these telephone numbers:

Primary School – Khun Joy: 027005858 ext. 126

Secondary School – Khun Mod: 027005858 ext. 222

We apologise for the inconvenience this will no doubt cause some families and also thank you for your patience while we take details, contact teachers and students, and arrange for them to go home.

As the self-quarantine period is coming to completion, we will be in touch to arrange an appointment with the school nurse, following the 14 day quarantine and before readmittance to school. Families will be required to bring their passport to these appointments so we can confirm the re-entry date to Thailand and completion of the self-quarantine. A reminder that additional temperature checks for all visitors to the campus are ongoing. Thank you in advance for being patient if there are some delays when entering school.

If the situation continues to evolve, we will endeavour to communicate with you by email, SMS and social media. This is to ensure as many people as possible directly receive the message if we continue to add further precautionary safety measures in place.

These steps have been put into place to ensure the health and well-being of the community and we appreciate your cooperation.

For your convenience, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) below

Yours faithfully

Duncan J Stonehouse

Head of School

COVID- 19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What should I do if I have been to, or transited through, Italy, Iran,  Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Macau, Vietnam or Malaysia?

Please self-quarantine for 14 days. Please do not come to school. The school will communicate further with families at home about the online learning for their child(ren). If you have not done so already, please complete this short Google Form so we can support families through this process.

We will also be in touch to arrange an appointment with the school nurse, following the 14 day quarantine and before re-admittance to school. Families will be asked to bring their passport to these appointments so we can confirm the re-entry date to Thailand and completion of the self-quarantine.

Why am I having my temperature taken as I enter school?

This is purely a precautionary measure as lots of us have been travelling over the half term holiday. This will help us all to minimise the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus. Anyone with a temperature above 38 degrees will be requested not to enter the school site and return home. This applies to  all staff, students, parents and visitors.

Are the school checking passports to see which students have traveled to high risk areas?

We are only asking families to show us arrival dates to confirm completion of self quarantine. This is voluntary and relies on the community being honest, caring and community minded.

Checking all passports would not reduce risks for a number of reasons. Firstly, Thailand itself has been in the top 5 or 6 ‘high risk’ countries for the last few weeks, although this has changed recently with Korea, Iran and Italy moving up the WHO Scale. Passport checks do not account for anybody that has visited high risk affected areas in Thailand. The Bangkok Post has mentioned Chon Buri, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Bangkok as identified areas of risk. Passport checks also do not show if somebody has transferred through the airport of a country which the government have listed as high risk.

Therefore, the Government and the World Health Authority (WHO) agree that the most effective way is regular checking for fever, flu type symptoms and to seek medical help if they are apparent.  Symptom checking should apply to everybody, regardless of where they have been, and we will continue to work closely with Samitivej Hospital medical experts. I hope this goes some way to reassuring you during this difficult situation. 

What happens if I have a temperature of more than 38 degrees?

If your temperature is 38 degrees or higher, please stay at home and seek medical advice. If your temperature becomes elevated in school, the necessary arrangements will be made to have you sent home safely.

If you have not travelled to the high risk areas, you will be able to return to school when you are fully recovered and are able to bring a note of good health from a reputable doctor.

Please remember that a high temperature may be a symptom of a number of illnesses, there is no reason to assume that a temperature is caused by the Covid-19 virus.

When I am at home on self quarantine, what guidance should I follow?

Please do not come to school during this 14 day self quarantine period. We advise families to follow the government guidance to minimise contact with people and stay away from busy places such as public transport and shopping centers. As far as possible, avoid face to face contact with anyone from our school community. Please stay in touch with devices of course. Please do complete work set by your teachers at home.

What is the guidance for people who have been in contact with friends and family members that have recently been to high risk areas or are currently in self quarantine?

If your direct and immediate family (that you live with) have been to a high risk area, or are self quarantining, please self quarantine: This is because you are likely to have had close contact with that loved one.

If your direct and immediate family (that you live with) has transferred through an airport in a high risk area, please continue to come to school and follow all the existing guidance. We suggest that parents and guardians who have been travelling limit physical contact with family, do not share cutlery and dishes for food or drinks and monitor their families temperature carefully. Check that your temperature is normal and monitor this everyday. If you have a temperature of 38C or higher, stay at home. If you begin to feel unwell, please visit a doctor or the hospital as a precautionary measure.

If you have met visitors who have travelled from these places, but not had direct or extensive physical contact please continue to come to school and follow all the existing guidance. Check that your temperature is normal and monitor this everyday. If you have a temperature of 38C or higher, stay at home. If you begin to feel unwell, please visit a doctor or the hospital as a precautionary measure.

These guidelines are informed by what we know of the spreading possibilities of the virus. Covid-19 is not airborne but can be spread by contact and droplet infection.

How can I best support my child if they are in self quarantine?

As you will be aware, students who have visited a range of countries have been asked to complete a period of self quarantine. Although students will not be physically in school, we have procedures in place to ensure students can continue to learn at home. We will do this through Firefly, the school’s virtual learning environment. This is effective for all ages and subjects at Bangkok Prep.

Our teachers are currently uploading materials for your children’s learning, on Firefly, and will continue to do so during the course of their absence. New resources will be made available as soon as possible by our staff who continue to carry out their full and important roles at school. Thank you in advance for ensuring that students access and complete their learning. Here is the information you need to help your children find their work:

Students should visit Firefly in the usual way as when undertaking homework. Tasks will be set by the relevant teacher for the lessons your child would have had were they following their normal school timetable. As a parent, you can access Firefly through this link or via the icon at the top of our school homepage: www.bkkprep.ac.th.

Students will need to plan their time over the day to complete the tasks set by teachers. They could stick to their normal school timetable or work on a more independent schedule – they should choose the most suitable method. Once finished, students should mark the work ‘Completed’ so that progress and work can be monitored accordingly.

Students can communicate with staff via email if they need clarification or support. Staff may be dealing with a large number of queries, so we would ask students to be patient when waiting for responses. Please note that staff will be available during the hours of our normal working day.

On behalf of teachers and staff I would like to thank you for your continued patience and support over the next two weeks. We are confident student learning will not be compromised and look forward to seeing everyone back as soon as possible.

What should I do about upcoming planned trips and Songkran Holiday plans?

As a school we will continue to follow the government guidance and best practice for keeping the risk to our community as low as possible. This means that we anticipate anyone who is visiting the high risk countries (or transiting through them) would need to self quarantine for 14 days upon their return.

As such, staff and parents are asked not to plan travel to high risk areas if avoidable and be aware these areas may change to include a wider range of countries as the situation evolves over the coming weeks.

As of the 26th February, these high risk areas are mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, Italy, Iran, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia.

We are anticipating that self quarantine for 14 days will remain in place for some time. As such, we advise careful planning of trips and where possible flexible bookings. We understand this is inconvenient and will affect most of us who are able to take international holidays, however this situation is ongoing and caution is advised.

Please also be aware that many people will be choosing to make lifestyle changes, such as avoiding large crowds, in order to minimise their own risk of infection with Covid-19. These considerations should be made for travel and activities within Thailand, as well as abroad.

Summer flight bookings – we advise that you book a ‘flexiticket’ so you can guarantee that you will be able to start school on Thursday 20th August 2020, should one of your travel locations becomes a future hotspot.

If I am worried about the health of someone else what should I do?

Please do not discuss anyone you have concerns about via any type of social media. This can be damaging to the community and people’s wellbeing and has no positive outcomes. Instead, please contact your child’s form tutor or class teacher by school email and treat this in a confidential manner. The staff will follow up and act to ensure everything is being done to minimise the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus. They will do this in a way that is sensitive to the student and the families involved. Many people may have a range of health issues that are in no way related to a risk of Covid-19.

How are external examinations affected?

All external examinations that are scheduled as per the examination timetable will currently go ahead as planned.

Why am I being given a sticker to wear?

On entry to the school site(s) our staff are checking temperatures and issuing you with a colour circle that you can wear. This means that you can show staff the sticker if you need to access areas like the school shop and re-enter the campus. We may still check your temperature again, even with a sticker, as we are also doing some random spot checks but it could save you a few seconds.

I am self quarantining: Can I come to school to get my / my child’s books and equipment?

Unfortunately, you will not be able to enter the school site and we would ask that your child does not request their friends make a face to face visit to deliver this equipment. Please try to work with resources you have at home. If your child urgently needs materials, please contact the Primary or Secondary coordinator who will do their best to make arrangements for you that are also safe for the school community.

Primary School – Khun Toom: supaksirip@bkkprep.ac.th 

Secondary School – Khun Bo: kingkarnp@bkkprep.ac.th

Will being in self quarantine affect attendance on my school report?

No; if you are doing all the work teachers have asked you too this will not affect your report attendance as you are still learning.

Are Bangkok Prep looking at video conferencing for students who are self quarantined?

At the moment, there are seven teachers who are also self quarantined and so the teachers in school are teaching live lessons and sometimes extra lessons to ensure learning continues. We have rearranged timetables and done our best to ensure subject specialists are in place wherever needed and possible. Teachers are also setting extra online learning for self quarantined students on Firefly. Thank you teachers!

Video conferencing will not be used for teachers in school however, we are working on this method with a group of quarantined teachers with specialist skills. World Languages and examination groups will be prioritised.

To put this in place, we have to carefully consider safeguarding implications and ensure the process is as inclusive as possible for students in school and self quarantining.  When we have piloted the process and are certain it is successful, we may consider expanding this type of support.