Amid an increase in community transmission of the new coronavirus, more cases are being seen in which schoolchildren and teachers are testing positive for the virus or have had close contact with those who have been infected.

How should schools cope with the situation when pupils get infected? How should they decide whether to close the school and how should they care for their students?

A principal of an elementary school in the Chubu region detailed the time when one pupil got infected with the coronavirus in July.

“Taking measures to prevent the spread of infection was a matter of course, but our top priority was to provide emotional care to the children,” the principal stressed.

While the local public health center told the school that the infection risk decreases after around 72 hours, the school decided to close down for roughly two weeks after consulting with local authorities and the education board.

All the school’s staff and children who had contact with the infected boy were tested for the virus and were relieved to hear in a couple of days that all of them tested negative, the principal said.

In an effort to respond to the concerns of children and their parents, the school sent emails to parents during its shutdown, explaining the situation and infection prevention measures the school would take when it reopened.

“We were worried that there might be pupils who would be scared or reluctant to go to school” when classes resumed, the principal said.