Lower primary and nursery students will finally return to school on January 18, ten months after schools hastily closed following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country.

The youngsters have had to wait longer with older students having resumed physical classes in the final quarter of last year, along with learners who attend international schools.

While most schoolchildren have admittedly missed a lot and will have to repeat a year of school with most learning institutions unable to provide online classes ever since they closed in March, the nature of this unprecedented crisis called for stern measures. And, of course, we are still not out of the woods yet, we are all still required to be cooperative and vigilant as we continue to battle the pandemic.

But the patience exhibited by both the students and their parents/guardians as the government worked out a formula that would allow for a safe and responsible phased reopening of schools is creditable and the same spirit should be upheld going forward.

However, Covid-19 is still around. In fact, the virus has accelerated both in terms of new cases and fatalities more than any time before – certainly more than when schools were ordered to close early last year. Nonetheless, today, we are more prepared clinically and psychologically, and in terms of logistics and equipment. Also, there is hope a vaccine could finally arrive in the early stages of this year.

Meanwhile, parents, students and all of us will be required to continue playing our part to help keep the pandemic in check and prevent a situation where our healthcare system gets overwhelmed with cases.

The fact that children don’t generally get critically ill from Covid-19 came as a relief but a few children have unfortunately been succumbing to the virus nonetheless and there is need to educate the youngsters about preventive measures.

They should be educated about the importance of properly wearing a mask, regularly washing their hands and observing social distancing while at school, and on their way from or back home. And, to let them know that their behaviour will play a key role in this collective fight.