TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – A week after the Department of Education (DepEd) released a memorandum for the postponement of events, the department is now mulling on conducting the activities on March.
Regional Director of DepEd RO2 Estela Leon Cariño said that the date for the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) and National Festival of Talents (NFOT) is tentative on March 9-13, 2020.
“In the interest of public health, all public and private basic education schools and learning centers are duty-bound to exercise due diligence and take precautionary measures to minimize exposure to risks associated with 2019nCov”, Dir. Cariño said.
Last February 4, DepEd Secretary Leonora Briones announced that NSPC, NFOT and other national and regional events will be postponed due to the health scare the 2019 novel-coronavirus holds.
Director Cariño then emphasized that the public and private basic education schools are also encouraged to suspend flag raising ceremonies for those schools who have large amount of students.
Cariño also said that they have coordinated with their partners for the preparation for the national events which they have a contract with.
Meanwhile, DepEd has coordinated with Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines (PAL) for the rebooking and refunding of tickets booked for the supposedly upcoming activities.
“There is an online form to be filled up in the official DepEd website to trace their bookings for the postponed activities”, she said.
In a press conference on February 10, DepEd urged teachers to intensify back to basic program for the students to practice good hygiene.
“Hand washing is still the most effective way to protect ourselves from diseases. We should teach more of our learners the proper way of washing hands”, Dir. Cariño said.
Department of Health (DOH) recommended DepEd to do a routinary check-up of the students first thing in the morning if there are any symptoms like fever, cough, colds and difficulty in breathing. with EBG/TNF
