Quarantine rooms for suspected MERS cases to be set up in schools

The Ministry of Education has announced that 34,000 schools across the Kingdom will be asked to allocate quarantine rooms on their premises for suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases.
The preventive action plan launched by the ministry will be implemented in coordination with the Health Ministry.
The decision came during a meeting held in the presence of Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, his two undersecretaries and the general director of the school health department.
The plan also incorporates training courses targeting school staff to equip them to deal with the virus and identify its symptoms, as well as take part in preventive measures.
Suspected cases will be quarantined in these rooms until students are sent home or transferred to hospital.
Quarantine rooms must be equipped with preventive equipment, such as face masks, gloves and thermometers.
Sources also said the ministry will allocate a central operation room for responding to inquiries made by parents, students and staff.
Several school principals had demanded the cancelation of morning assembly in a bid to reduce crowding amid growing fears of the virus despite assurances given by the Education Ministry that schools are free of infection.
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal reiterated the importance of taking strict precautionary measures at schools through the implementation of action plans in coordination with the Health Ministry.
The minister reasserted the importance of holding awareness campaigns for awareness and prevention, not least of which include social media networking sites. He also emphasized on the need to boost hygiene at schools and to provide schools with medical equipment and sterilizers.
The minister’s statement came during a meeting that was attended by Khaled Al-Sabti, deputy education minister, Hamad Al-Asheik, undersecretary for boys education, and Suleiman Al-Shahri, general director of the school health department.