ACG School Jakarta, a renowned international school in South Jakarta, has temporarily closed until March 16 as a precaution over concerns that a teacher may be infected with the novel coronavirus.
In a message published on the school’s website, principal Shawn Hutchinson explained that one ACG teacher had experienced flu-like symptoms and has proactively chosen to be tested for COVID-19. No further information on the teacher, including recent travel history, was given.
“Following world health guidelines, a 14-day self-quarantine period will be implemented unless we receive confirmation of a negative result,” Hutchinson wrote.
“Our priority now is to ensure the safety of our school community and to maintain the continuity of our students’ education. In response to potential concerns around the virus, we had already developed a guided online curriculum which is now in place and we will continue to provide online teaching support for all students.”
South Jakarta Mayor Marullah Matali praised the school’s quick response in temporarily suspending all activities.
“The mechanisms are correct regarding their swift action,” he told state news agency Antara yesterday.
The Jakarta Education Board said ACG decided on the temporary closure on its own as there are currently no official instructions by the board regarding school closure amid the coronavirus outbreak.
After weeks of claiming it was free of infections and shielded by prayer, Indonesia finally announced its first coronavirus cases on March 2 amid growing reports elsewhere involving patients who recently visited the archipelago. Several new cases reported in Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore in the last few days have involved patients who recently traveled to Indonesia.
The first people to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in Indonesia — a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter — are making inroads towards recovery, officials say.
They are currently being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Sunter, North Jakarta, where they had been transferred to since they were suspected of the novel coronavirus infection on March 1.
