The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) told local schools yesterday that teachers and all other staff members who take their children to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should be given one-day leave.
According to a statement by the bureau last night, DSEDJ Director Kong Chi Meng made the remarks during a briefing session with representatives of the city’s 77 schools about the government’s work on promoting COVID-19 vaccinations amongst schoolchildren.
Yesterday’s session, which took place at Kao Yip Middle School, was jointly hosted by Kong and Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long.
According to the statement, Kong noted during the session that schools are “densely populated” venues, because of which the health risk to students and teachers “should not be ignored”.
Kong said that Macau’s latest COVID-19 vaccination rate amongst those aged between 3 and 11 stands at only 8.5 percent, urging local schools to hold presentation sessions for the parents of their students about COVID-19 vaccinations, and organise “vaccination days” in the schools.
Kong said that local schools should give their teachers and all other staff members who take their children to get inoculated against COVID-19 “excused absence from work” for one day, either on the day of their children’s vaccinations or the next day.
According to the statement, Kong told local schools to ask the parents of their still unjabbed students every week to report whether their children have already been inoculated against COVID-19.
During yesterday’s session, Lo said that the findings of numerous research studies have indicated that COVID-19 vaccinations can effectively reduce the risk of suffering a serious condition or dying from the novel coronavirus disease. The health chief also underlined the ongoing threat to Macau from the continuing spread of the Omicron variant globally, and the possible serious complications or consequences suffered by children infected with Omicron.
Lo urged parents to take their unjabbed children to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Govt does not enforce jabs
In the wake of the fact that Macau is facing a “constantly increasing” risk of suffering COVID-19 community transmissions due to Hong Kong’s ongoing “massive” COVID-19 outbreak, the Macau government has repeatedly and strongly urged those who have still not been inoculated against COVID-19 to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau, underlined yesterday that the “urgent” COVID-19 vaccination appeal made by the local government recently is not to “force” unjabbed residents to get inoculated. Instead, Leong said, the government aims to provide correct information on COVID-19 vaccinations.
Leong made the remarks when making a call to a current affairs phone-in programme hosted by Ou Mun Tin Toi, the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM.
Leong also said that out of 46 COVID-19 fatalities reported in Hong Kong during its current outbreak, 40 had not been inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
Leong reaffirmed that the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are similar to those of various other vaccines, pointing out that over one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Macau, while billions of COVID-19 doses have been given globally.
The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng (left) and Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long address yesterday’s briefing session at Kao Yip Middle School in Nape about the government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign for schoolchildren. Photo: DSEDJ
