Universities told to step up COVID-19 precautions for winter

Universities in China should make sure departures of students heading home for winter vacation are staggered and make proper arrangements for those staying on campus amid increasing risks of COVID-19 cluster infections, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

There have been confirmed COVID-19 cases in multiple regions on the Chinese mainland in the past month. Local education authorities, universities and schools should realize that this winter and next spring are critical in pandemic prevention and control and they should strictly implement containment measures, the ministry said in a notice.

They should strengthen management of events involving large gatherings of people and sanitize important locations such as classrooms, canteens and dormitories to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, the notice said.

They should also actively prevent the virus from spreading through cold-chain food by offering strict training to staff members responsible for purchasing food and conducting emergency drills, it said.

Schools and universities should also make early preparations for the spring semester, it added.