Education Minister Roberto Fulcar announced the municipalities that the government is targeting to prepare for in-person schooling starting 6 April 2021. The Ministry of Education has said the process of returning to the classrooms will be a gradual one, taking into account the ongoing behavior of the Covid-19 and the positivity rate and infections per 100K people reported over the last 7 days.
Fulcar has said that the first to resume in-person schooling will be in municipalities where the 14-day positivity rate is no more than 5% and the 7-day infections per 100K people is 50 or less. He says this is what the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommends. He said every student will need a written consent from the father, mother or guardian. “It is a voluntary return,” he said when interviewed on the morning radio talk show, “El Sol de la Mañana.”
Furcal mentioned 48 municipalities in 24 of 32 provinces and the National District where schools could reopen. Leading the list are the provinces of Monte Plata with 5 municipalities, Independencia (4 municipalities), and Espaillat, Samaná, San José de Ocoa, and Barahona with 3 municipalities, as reported in El Caribe. The cities of Moca, Bonao and Samana, Sánchez, Miches, Monte Plata, Jimaní, and Pedernales are included. Of the touristic cities, Samaná and Las Terrenas made the list, also Río San Juan, all on the north coast.
The in-person reopening of schools will depends on these municipalities keeping low the spread of the disease.
The municipalities where the authorities will be working to authorize school re-openings are:
Azua: Tábara Arriba
Bahoruco: Tamayo
Barahona: Cabral, El Peñon, Paraiso
El Seibo: Miches
Elías Piña: Comendador, Bánica
Espaillat: Jamao al Norte, Cayetano Germosén, Moca
Independencia: Postrer Río, Duvergé, La Descubierta, Jimaní
La Romana: Guaymate, Villa Hermosa
La Vega: Jima Abajo
María Trinidad Sánchez: Río San Juan
Monseñor Nouel: Bonao
Montecristi: Villa Vásquez, Las Matas de Santa Cruz
Monte Plata: Peralvillo, Sabana Grande de Boyá, Yamasá, Bayaguana, Monte Plata
Pedernales: Oviedo, Pedernales
Puerto Plata: Guananico, Altamira,
Samaná: Samaná, Las Terrenas, Sánchez
San Cristóbal: Cambita Garabitos,
San Juan de la Maguana: Vallejuelo, Las Matas de Farfán
San Pedro de Macorís: Los Llanos
Sánchez Ramírez: Cevicos
Santiago: Bisonó, Sabana Iglesia
Santiago Rodríguez: Villa Los Almácigos
Santo Domingo: San Antonio de Guerra, Pedro Brand
San José de Ocoa: Rancho Arriba, Sabana Larga, San José de Ocoa
Valverde: Esperanza
This list is subject to change, says Fulcar. He said the Ministry of Public Health is giving priority to vaccinate public school teachers, health care workers and seniors in those municipalities that are preparing for the reopening of the schools.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
11 March 2021