11 schools in Ilocos region suspend in-person classes

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — At least 11 schools which participated in the pilot implementation of in-person classes last November had to temporarily shut their doors beginning January 14 amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Ilocos region, officials from the regional Department of Education (DepEd) said.

Cesar Bucsit, spokesperson of DepEd in the region, said that they had to follow the national guidelines which provided for the “automatic suspension of classes” of basic education in areas under Alert Level 3.

All of the provinces in the region—Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan—have been placed under COVID-19 Alert Level 3 until January 31.

The schools which suspended their classes in the region are the Dumalneg National High School, Alao-ao Elementary School, Paddagan Elementary School, Dumalneg Elementary School, San Isidro Elementary School, Cacafean Elementary School, Buanga Elementary School, Godogod Elementary School, and Bicbica Elementary School in Ilocos Norte.

In Pangasinan, classes in Longos Elementary School and 100 Islands Cowboy Christian Learning Center have also been suspended.

On Thursday, January 13, the national DepEd gave the regional offices the discretion to suspend classes in their areas this month “based on their reliable assessment of the health status of their teachers and learners and their [COVID-19 risk] classification.”

The class suspension should not exceed two weeks to avoid prolonged disruption in the current school calendar.

All synchronous and asynchronous classes shall be put on hold during the suspension of classes. Submission of academic requirements and conduct of other teaching-related activities was ordered by the DepEd to be moved at a later date.

“For late submission of requirements, accommodations must be afforded for those with valid reason,” the DepEd said.

During the suspension, the regional DepEd urged eligible teaching personnel and students to get vaccinated against the virus.

Based on the regular monitoring of the regional DepEd, none of those who joined the pilot implementation of classes had contracted COVID-19, said Bucsit.

The region had seen a rise in COVID-19 cases from a daily average of eight to ten cases in December last year to 250 to 300 cases per day on the first days of January, according to Dr. Rheuel Bobis, COVID-19 focal person of the regional Department of Health (DOH).

On Friday, January 14, the region logged at least 680 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the total number of active cases to 3,756, according to regional data.