Ministry of Education: No Need to Shut Schools

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia has said it sees no sufficient grounds for closing schools in the face of the novel coronavirus that continues to spread around the world. The Ministry considers such measures disproportionate to the actual threat.

The Ministry is tightening sanitary standards in schools to ensure effective prevention and risk management, as announced by the head of the General Education Department, Ekaterine Khutsishvili. “The process of monitoring schools through local educational resource centers will become more intense so as to avoid any complications”, she said.

The Ministry once again calls on the school administration to ensure properly maintained hygiene in schools, for which end the following conditions must be met:

Cleaning the schools daily with detergents and disinfectants;

Cleaning the classrooms, other study and auxiliary rooms, with windows kept open;

Cleaning the sanitary-technical equipment daily;

Cleaning the canteens every morning and after dinner;

During disinfection, attention should be paid to the processing of items that play a critical role in transmitting the infection (door handles, table surfaces);

Garbage bins to be swapped out when they are half full; 

Not allowing unattended pets on school grounds.

“It should also be noted that the Ministry is fully involved in the work of the Interagency Coordination Council and if threats associated to the virus escalate in near future, relevant decision will be made regarding the schooling process,” Khutsishvili added.