The Ministry of Education ( Meduca ) of Panama announced that from now on it will begin the return of teachers to educational centers, nationwide.

The head of Meduca, Maruja Gorday de Villalobos, added that the personnel who were not physically in the schools , such as supervisors, directors and administrative officials, will also return and generate the processes from the institutions.

"It is not a massive return of teachers or students to schools", but a necessary measure to plan strategies in an eventual restart of blended classes.

The decision was made considering that more than 90% of educators and school personnel are vaccinated against COVID-19, and that 2,890 biosafety protocols have been created with return plans.

The minister explained that the obligation to use masks, the temperature measurement and other established biosafety procedures will continue to be in force.

In addition, swabs coordinated by the Minsa and the Social Security Fund (CSS) will be applied, as they have been regularly developed for educators and other officials, who have been in schools in tutorials since March and in blended classes since May.

During the press conference given by authorities of the Ministry of Health this Tuesday it was reported that together with Meduca it was decided to reduce the physical distance in schools from two to one meter. This decision was made guided by the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the reports of COVID-19 infections in Panama, said the minister.

"In our country, transmission is in ages over 20 years, between 20 and 59 years of age, and this transmission is not recorded in pediatric ages ... the records of this population are very low and have not occurred in educational centers with the opening from March, "he stressed.

However, weekly follow-up and monitoring will continue between the Environmental Education Directorate, the Minsa and its links in the regions, regarding the behavior of the pandemic by township and school zone.

"The schools that have been requesting the return must be organized to gradually return for a third term from now on ... there are 800 schools that have requested the return. Already 9,180 teachers are teaching 47 thousand teachers throughout the country. country, "said the Minister of Education.

He added that "if the enrollment allows it, full school days of the educational establishments must be fulfilled," giving priority to groups of twelfth grade graduates who require professional practice, for use in laboratories and workshops; as well as the first grades and those with special needs.

The authorities indicated that 4.8 million balboas are invested in the installation of plastic and metal tanks to reserve water in 1,034 schools, which is managed by 425 community boards in the country; While 32 educational centers will apply a water harvesting plan, in three of them, the technology is already ready and the rest are in execution.