Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) calls on all schools to take extra precautions to protect students from the H1N1 virus. Schools should remain vigilant and put in place strict hygiene and preventive measures to stop the spread of germs. These include the following:
- Students and staff should follow respiratory etiquette at all times, including staying at home when sick.
- Soap, hand-sanitizers and paper tissues to be kept within easy reach of the children
- Regularly offer instructions on proper hygiene, including hand washing.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces inside the classrooms and in commonly used areas, such as doorknobs, desks, chairs and keyboards etc, and keep them clean.
- Suspend all extra-curricular activities during this time.
It is therefore extremely important to continue observing public health measures in the fight against this disease, as well as to maintain close monitoring of the situation, to help keep our children safe. It is important that schools in affected islands remain closed till it is completely safe for them to reopen again.
Since vaccination remains one of the main means of prevention, ARC also calls on all the authorities to urgently facilitate more convenient and safer means for vaccination programmes across the country, specially in all the affected atolls.
Testing for the H1N1 virus should also be facilitated in the atolls urgently.