PH schools with high volume of mainland Chinese students urged to suspend classes

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday urged schools with high population of mainland Chinese students to immediately suspend classes to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“Know your students. Chinese schools that have high student population of mainland Chinese should immediately suspend classes to avoid the spread of the virus among students,” Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate told INQUIRER.net in a message.

He said schools should “have protocols set in place in an event there are cases in the schools and their communities,” he said.

“Students and parents should know what to do and who to call,” he added.

Gatchalian also reminded schools to continue to promote proper hygiene.

This comes after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

READ: BREAKING: DOH confirms first case of novel coronavirus in PH

The DOH said a 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived in the Philippines through a flight from Hong Kong last week, tested positive for novel coronavirus, which first broke out in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province.

Gatchalian also said that schools that have a high student population of mainland Chinese should suspend its graduation rites and other forms of congregation.

Earlier this week, several schools in Metro Manila, mostly schools who have Chinese-Filipino students, already suspended classes amid the virus scare.