PCR Test Results – All Negative
PCR Test Results – All Negative
Our school conducted PCR tests for dormitory students who spent their winter vacation off-campus and returned to our school. The results were all negative. In response to this result, our school held the opening ceremony on the 12th as scheduled and was able to safely start the third semester.
According to our nurse’s office data, 350 students (296 students from outside Kochi prefecture / 54 students from within the prefecture) were obligated to test. Our school sent test kits to each student’s home address and they performed the test the morning of the day they returned to school. The homeroom teachers and club teachers received the test kit from each returning student and confirmed the negative result. Five students could not test at home due to various reasons such as damage or loss of the test kit, but those students were tested before entering the school using the school’s stock of spare kits and the teachers confirmed the negative results.
International students who spent the winter vacation in the school dormitory were not obligated to take a PCR test this time, but they continue to monitor their body temperature every day (as well as teachers) and no problems have arisen.
The number of people infected with COVID-19 has remained at a relatively low level in Kochi prefecture, but it has increased immensely since the beginning of the year, mainly in large metropolitan areas. The government re-invoked the "declaration of a state of emergency" from the 7th of this month in 4 metropolitan prefectures including Tokyo and from the 13th, declaration areas were expanded to 7 prefectures including the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area.
As of today, there is no confirmed infections of COVID-19 in our school. We continue monitoring body temperatures daily in the morning and evening, and disinfection throughout campus facilities. Furthermore, from this semester, we will conduct PCR tests as appropriate and equip humidifiers in all classrooms and so on to take thorough infection prevention measures. We will do our best to create a safe school environment with our utmost effort.
