Covid-19: Prestigious Bangkok international school admits it has to close because 60 teachers are in virus quarantine

[rooster59]

Covid-19: Prestigious Bangkok international school admits it has to close because 60 teachers are in virus quarantine

 

 

The headmaster of the prestigious Harrow International School in Bangkok told a press conference yesterday that 60 of its staff members were in quarantine due to travelling to countries deemed risky in connection with the Covid-19 virus outbreak.

The teachers traveled during the Don Muang school's half term break.

Mr Jon Standen further admitted that 300 students were also in 14 day quarantine following half term trips with families and a further 200 had not gone to school "presumably because of anxiety".

The school has decided to close from now until Monday March 9th when it hopes to reopen.

Mr Standen said that the decision to close was due to there not being enough staff and that it was "incredibly difficult to run the school safely".

The staff and students will have completed a 14 day quarantine by March 9th.

The school also said that it was prompted to close after a Thai school in the area shut because a student and their family were infected.

Mr Standen stressed that there was no one at the school either student, parent or teacher who was infected.

He said that the quarantined teachers and students were on private half term trips not school trips. Earlier reports that emanated from the Secretary General of the Private Education Commission Attapon Truektrong erroneously suggested that they had taken part in school trips.

Some foreign trips for students organised by the school recently were cancelled though "expeditions" inside Thailand went ahead as planned.

Sources at the school said that pre-half term warnings were made about travel to some countries such as China but advisories had escalated in the meantime.

Director of Operations Mathew Rees said that Harrow would be performing an extensive deep clean during the closure.

Harrow has been in Bangkok since 1998 and moved to its present campus in the Sikan area of Don Muang several years later. It is connected to the famous Harrow School in London and has several branches throughout Asia including in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.

Elsewhere other international schools in central Thailand were preparing measures in response to the Covid-19 situation.

International School of Bangkok Head Teacher Dr Andrew Davies told Thaivisa that ISB would be closed for just one day next Monday March 2nd.

The school has issued an online "self-declaration" form and the closure will help in processing those forms and be used for teachers to prepare plans for possible online learning in the future.
 
Dr Davies said that the school will only close for longer if ordered to do so by the Thai authorities or if someone on their campus is confirmed to have the virus. There have been no cases.
 
The school had been closed for half term  meaning that some on the campus might have travelled to countries at risk. ISB has a roll of 1650 students of whom 26% are Thai and the rest foreign nationals.
 
Their community is regularly updated with information and those who have been to highly infected areas like China, Japan and South Korea are required to self declare and go into 14 day voluntary quarantine.
 
Like most schools Bangkok Patana School in the Bang Na area of the capital is issuing regular updates but no closures have been mentioned there.
 
However, overnight trips involving interaction with children from other schools have been cancelled as have sporting events. Patana is the biggest international school in Thailand that caters to a largely British clientele.
 
In the Pattaya area The Regents was closed on Friday and parents were expecting further information later in the day. Their website said that the closure was a "precaution" and they stress that no cases of the virus were found there.
 
Rugby School is open as normal though an open day in March has been cancelled. Parents, students and teachers who have travelled to any of nine countries designated by the Thai authorities must go into voluntary quarantine.
 
Other schools have been contacted but have yet to report their arrangements regarding the virus outbreak.
 
Thai schools are about to begin long "summer" holidays that will stretch through Songkran until May but for international schools this period is normally business as usual.
 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-02-29

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[unamazedloso]

Chinese still allowed in as they wish and can stay as long as they want though right?

[geriatrickid]

At this stage, I don't know if  the deluge of Chinese nationals makes a difference. China has been able to contain its epidemic. On the contrary, it is Thailand that will present the risk since Thailand most likely is now a disease reservoir holding thousands if not tens of thousands of infected people.  Thailand had an open door policy for  the past three months that put it in that position. I do not accept the Thai assertion of less than 50  infections.

[legend49]

Slowly the cracks are appearing as more truth is released. One day we will get the full facts. By then the war will be lost for those who keep saying "all is under control"

[sensei]

An Adventist school in Saraburi will close down for TWO WEEKS because a parent who just came home from JAPAN went to pick up his kid.

 

 

[brewsterbudgen]

All rather pointless as you're just as likely to be infected from someone already in Thailand.

[justin case]

too bad Thailand is not on the list (yet) of dangerous countries

 

stop counting = everything is ok

[TheFishman1]

Me know worried the general says he has everything under control TIT

[spiekerjozef]

6 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

Chinese still allowed in as they wish and can stay as long as they want though right?

So are Italians.

[Jane Dough]

The question might be asked: What was Harrow doing to prevent those 60 teachers from going abroad and thus threatening a school closure. Yes, their half term was a couple of weeks ago but should the management not have shown a little more foresight? If I was a parent at that school I would be miffed....especially if I had stayed at home and not traveled to countries at risk. The cost per term is well over 150K.

 

Rooster

[DavisH]

14 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

So are Italians.

Italy is the source of the spread into much of Europe, along with Iran. 

[Tayaout]

Soon they will have to close all schools but they will probably still allow tourists from affected countries to come in without quarantine. 

[Bundooman]

5 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

The question might be asked: What was Harrow doing to prevent those 60 teachers from going abroad and thus threatening a school closure. Yes, their half term was a couple of weeks ago but should the management not have shown a little more foresight? If I was a parent at that school I would be miffed....especially if I had stayed at home and not traveled to countries at risk. The cost per term is well over 150K.

 

Rooster

It does seem a little odd, doesn't it?

 

Quote: "He said that the quarantined teachers and students were on private half term trips not school trips. Earlier reports that emanated from the Secretary General of the Private Education Commission Attapon Truektrong erroneously suggested that they had taken part in school trips".

 

Sixty teachers all decided to 'privately' go on trips to suspected, infected countries? 

Did they go separately (as individuals or did they go as a group?

Did the school know they were going?

How exactly, was the school involved in these ventures?

Were any of the students accompanying them? This fact wasn't really clear.

Were they educational trips? If so, who paid for them?

Why were they all allowed to go - assuming that they had informed the school beforehand?

More worryingly - did the Sec.Gen. of Private Ed. Com. sanction these trips and were they really, in fact,"School trips?"

 

The school appears to be back pedalling and covering themselves somewhat selfishly in this very vague scenario style 'Kok-up!'. 

150K per term? Not cheap to have the school decide to close...…!

[4MyEgo]

How's the government going to counter that one ?

[david555]

1 hour ago, TheFishman1 said:

Me know worried the general says he has everything under control TIT

Oh  don't worry …. once the General put his tanks once more around Victory monument this virus go retreat in fear ….

"The Victory monument tank trick"  does it always in Thailand ????

[samran]

40 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

The question might be asked: What was Harrow doing to prevent those 60 teachers from going abroad and thus threatening a school closure. Yes, their half term was a couple of weeks ago but should the management not have shown a little more foresight? If I was a parent at that school I would be miffed....especially if I had stayed at home and not traveled to countries at risk. The cost per term is well over 150K.

 

Rooster

Not really odd, the directive from the ministry of education only came through at 6pm on Sunday night, the day before most international schools returned from the breaks 
 

The list included places like Singapore, Malaysia Vietnam and Korea. Lots of bangkok schools were caught off guard by the announcement. 

[FarFlungFalang]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Sources at the school said that pre-half term warnings were made about travel to some countries such as China but advisories had escalated in the meantime.

 

44 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

The question might be asked: What was Harrow doing to prevent those 60 teachers from going abroad and thus threatening a school closure. Yes, their half term was a couple of weeks ago but should the management not have shown a little more foresight? If I was a parent at that school I would be miffed....especially if I had stayed at home and not traveled to countries at risk. The cost per term is well over 150K.

 

Rooster

It seems to indicate that advisories changed whilst they were away.It's a bit hard to predict what countries do what when.Maybe you should learn to read and use those things called words!Ever heard of those?

[sahibji]

very wise move by the school. it is better to be safe than sorry.

[miamiman123]

There are a few English Program schools right here that should close because many of the teachers there were coming from a country other than China that has a problem!

im not saying but they know!!! 

[sahibji]

5 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

 

It seems to indicate that advisories changed whilst they were away.It's a bit hard to predict what countries do what when.Maybe you should learn to read and use those things called words!Ever heard of those?

it is not possible to tell people not to travel, if their travel plans are privately arranged.

[sahibji]

1 minute ago, miamiman123 said:

There are a few English Program schools right here that should close because many of the teachers there were coming from a country other than China that has a problem!

im not saying but they know!!! 

sounds like a fair idea. this is a situation to take any chance on.

[sahibji]

7 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

Chinese still allowed in as they wish and can stay as long as they want though right?

that makes absolutely no sense to expose oneself to a potential risk.

[sahibji]

6 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

At this stage, I don't know if  the deluge of Chinese nationals makes a difference. China has been able to contain its epidemic. On the contrary, it is Thailand that will present the risk since Thailand most likely is now a disease reservoir holding thousands if not tens of thousands of infected people.  Thailand had an open door policy for  the past three months that put it in that position. I do not accept the Thai assertion of less than 50  infections.

if the country does not become transparent about the current infections situation it could become a disaster.

[FarFlungFalang]

6 minutes ago, sahibji said:

it is not possible to tell people not to travel, if their travel plans are privately arranged.

They seem to be doing a pretty good job of it in China.

[mickey rat]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

told a press conference yesterday that 60 of its staff members were in quarantine due to travelling to countries deemed risky in connection with the Covid-19 virus outbreak

Is Thailand one of those countries deemed risky? ???? Cough, cough..

[Kelsall]

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1150892-kuwait-is-evacuating-its-citizens-from-thailand-due-to-coronavirus/?do=findComment&comment=15108903

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, legend49 said:

One day we will get the full facts.

Never!

[Xbeemer]

So a bit of fact for all the negative Thai bashers on here, Thailand is ranked by WHO in the top 5 best prepared countries to handle a pandemic. You're welcome.

[sambum]

2 hours ago, legend49 said:

Slowly the cracks are appearing as more truth is released. One day we will get the full facts. By then the war will be lost for those who keep saying "all is under control"

"One day we will get the full facts." You're joking - right? ???? 

[AussieinThaiJim]

Thailand is No 1 of potential countries on who projections. Estimates vary from 10% to 50% of the population will be effected(note NOT infected)!

It’s time for control not panic! The travellers from countries with rising cases such as Iran Korea and Italy should be stopped. The Chinese have done a fantastic job containing the virus with now numbers declining. Maybe the government should be stronger and citizens comply!