The Star title on A H1N1 news today: Masks, temperature tests for students not compulsory

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is of the view that it is not necessary to make wearing face masks and daily tests of students’ body temperature in schools compulsory to check the spread of Influenza A (H1N1), said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the Government had issued clear guidelines on the pandemic and as such, it was up to the wisdom of parents and the schools themselves on what action needed to be taken as they would know their own situation better.

He said the overriding issue was practising proper hygiene at all times and donning masks when needed so as not to infect others.

“If we feel our situation is safe, then it is up to our own judgement whether to wear the face mask or not. The question of making this compulsory I think is not necessary,” he told reporters when asked why the two practices had not been made compulsory despite the fact that the death toll due influence A H1N1 in the country had reached 73. Earlier, Muhyiddin had spent about 10 minutes visiting candidates of the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Damansara here on Tuesday.

Muhyiddin said if parents thought their children should be supplied with face masks they could do so.

He said parents and the people-at-large now were more aware of the pandemic following a huge amount of publicity.

“I also think the management of schools understand the situation better. Things are more in control now,” he said.

On the UPSR examination, taking place with the country facing the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, Muhyiddin said the Education Ministry had put in place various measures to ensure no student sitting for the examination was infected by the H1N1 virus.

He said each student sitting for the examination is supplied with three face masks to last the three days of the examination while hand sanitizers was also being made available, at all UPSR examination centres in the country.

Bernama