KUALA LUMPUR: A total 376 education institutions in Johor Baru have been ordered to close from Nov 1 to 14 after the Health Ministry confirmed the district is now a Covid-19 red zone.
The Education Ministry said in a statement today that the institutions involved are primary and secondary schools under the ministry, Teachers' Education Institutes as well as private schools registered with the ministry.
"Schools and institutions that have hostels will be closed as well. Parents or guardians must bring the students staying at the hostels home.
"However, students who are still waiting for their parents to pick them up and for those who wish to stay at the hostel during the closure will be under the supervision of the warden.
"The schools or institutions involved will provide food and drinks for the students staying (at their respective hostels)."
According to the ministry, the list of education institutions affected can be viewed at www.moe.gov.my as well as the Education Ministry's social media platforms.
Students who will sit for international examinations during the closure will need letters from their respective institutions to be able to sit for the examinations, according to the ministry.
"During the closure period, the respective institution administrators have been ordered to ensure teachers as well as students carry out teaching and learning (sessions) at home.
"Home teaching and learning manuals can be downloaded from the Education Ministry's official portal at www.moe.gov.my."
The Johor Baru district was declared a red zone after the number of Covid-19 cases surpassed 40 in just 14 days.
Johor health and environment committee chairman R Vidyananthan said in a statement today that information retrieved showed that most reported cases there involved the spread of the virus among family members and at workplaces.
He said monitoring and surveillance efforts would be boosted because of an expected increase in the number of cases soon.