TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of confirmed Covid-19 infections across schools in Yogyakarta City this week coincides with the city’s rising number of daily cases. At least three students of the Yogyakarta SMAN 8 high school were infected, which forced school management to reintroduce remote schooling for two of the classes.

The Yogyakarta regional secretary Kadarmanta Baskara Aji on Thursday urged academic institutions to evaluate the implementation of the 100 percent on-site learning, “Especially if the school faces difficulties in managing physical distancing in classrooms,” said Aji on January 27.

He urged schools facing the aforementioned difficulties should not make the 100 percent on-site learning a requirement and instead introduce a blended learning concept that reduces the number of students attending school.

Head of the Yogyakarta Youth and Sports Education Office Didik Wardaya said they started to suspect possible Covid-19 cases at the SMAN 8 when one 12th grade science student was reported to have missed school due to illness.

School management eventually screened each and every student and found one 10th grade student who tested positive for coronavirus. The number of cases added when a 12th grade student tested positive on Thursday which led to school management closing down the two classes as the students undergo isolation at home.

PRIBADI WICAKSONO (CONTROBUTOR)