MANILA, Philippines — A non-sectarian private Chinese school in Binondo, Manila announced the suspension of classes for January 30 to 31, Thursday to Friday, amid the threat of the novel coronavirus.
In a notice to parents released Wednesday evening, Tiong Se Academy, formerly known as Anglo-Chinese School and Philippine Tiong Se Academy, said that it called off classes until the weekend for the safety of students and to allay the fears of parents.
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#WalangPasok at @TiongSeAcademy tomorrow until Friday, January 30-31, 2020 to ensure the safety of our students. Please see below for details.
?????2020?1?30?31????????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/c46gVcym8b— Tiong Se Academy (@TiongSeAcademy) January 29, 2020
“Classes might resume on February 3, 2020 (Monday) depending on the situation,” Margarita Chua Guittierez, academy principal, said.
Guttierez said that before deciding on the cancellation of classes they managed to have a clear assessment of the concerns of the students and their parents and also the situations and conditions of its students and their family members.
It added that the school was also able to explain clearly to the students some important information on the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV as well as the precautions to prevent catching it.
The school principal also called on the students to conduct self-quarantine in case of any recent travel from novel coronavirus-stricken areas.
“We are reiterating the need for students who or whose family members just came back from China, Hong Kong, and other coronavirus-stricken areas to impose self-quarantine for 2 weeks or get a medical clearance from the doctor,” it said.
The Department of Health on Wednesday said there is still no confirmed novel coronavirus case in the Philippines.
The virus that originated from Wuhan, China late last year had spread to more than 15 countries and claimed 132 lives.