STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOLS AMID VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

High school seniors went back to school yesterday for the first time in 80 days. They were glad to be back but at the same time anxious as they went through strict disease prevention steps. In some areas of the country, students had to be tested for COVID-19 when some of their classmates were found to be symptomatic.

[Pkg]

​8 am. High school seniors are returning to classrooms. Their temperatures are checked before entering the building.

[Soundbite] "Hi, how are you? Please face me."

The students maintain a two-meter distance between them as they walk in. Once inside, another temperatures check with a thermal imaging camera. Regardless of the unfamiliar and inconvenience procedures, students are glad to see their friends again.

[Soundbite] KIM SI-HYEON(12TH GRADER, SEOUL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL) : "I’m so glad to see my friends. I haven’t seen them for a long time."

[Soundbite] YU JEONG-MIN(12TH GRADER, CHANGDUK GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL) : "We used to start school in Winter. So it feels strange to start school in Summer."

The desks in the classroom have been positioned wide apart. Distancing is necessary even inside the cafeteria. They must stay two meters away from one another when waiting in line and sit diagonally from each other at tables partitioned with plastic shields. Some students, with a slight fever were turned back before entering school grounds. If found symptomatic, they were transported to a testing site in an ambulance. Across the nation, some 120 students showed symptoms. About 100 of them were tested for COVID-19.

[Soundbite] KIM MYEONG-CHEOL(PRINCIPAL, 00 HIGH SCHOOL IN CHEONGJU) : "A student had a temperature above 37 degrees, so the student was isolated before calling an ambulance. That student is self-isolating at home."

Schools are taking every possible precaution to keep the disease at bay. Even maintaining students’ movements in one direction and frequently ventilating buildings.

[Soundbite] KIM SEUNG-GYEOM(PRINCIPAL, JUNGKYUNG HIGH SCHOOL) : "My biggest wish is for our students to be healthy. We’re doing our best to prevent infections."

High school seniors, who just started in-person classes yesterday, took a nationwide academic evaluation test today.