Banjarmasin closes schools, encourages learning at home

Banjarmasin Mayor Ibnu Sina announces the city government decision related to COVID-19. (ANTARA/Banjarmasin Govt PR)

So, from Tuesday (March 17) students do not go to school. If anyone does it is only to explain the holidays by distributing assignments and to make sure they study at home during holidays,

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Banjarmasin Mayor H Ibnu Sina finally decided to close schools from today March 17 for 14 days to respond to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) now also occurs in Indonesia.

"I just have a meeting with the deputy mayor, regional secretary, and heads of government agencies. We decide that the community would still learning, but not to panic, to cut the chains of COVID-19 by closing schools, from those at early childhood (PAUD), elementary (SD), junior (SMP), to high school," he declared here, Monday (March 16, 2020).

Ibnu Sina said he had received circular from the Ministry of Education and Culture, also from the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, regarding COVID-19 vigilance.

He instructed the city's Education Agency to coordinate the decision to all schools, in order all carry it out.

"So, from Tuesday (March 17) students do not go to school. If anyone does it is only to explain the holidays by distributing assignments and to make sure they study at home during holidays," he said.

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The mayor hopes students study at home to be accompanied by their parents and not to roam outside or go out in public.

"Make sure this is not an ordinary holiday, but this is an effort to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. They must be monitored and guarded," he insisted.

Ibnu Sina also hoped that schools can carry out educational communication online, thus the lesson would continue not to stop.

According to him, the decision to close schools was also related to many aspirations of people who wanted it, because of their concern about the spread of the virus.

In addition, the provincial government has set an emergency alert status for the spread of the COVID-19.

The day before, Ibnu Sina decided no plan to close the school. The reason, no Banjarmasin residents have contracted the virus.
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