Recommendations of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia for Schools

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia states that, despite the detection of the coronavirus in Georgia, neither international standards nor healthcare recommendations provide grounds for suspending the educational process as of today.

Nevertheless, for the purpose of prevention and effective risk management, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia is tightening sanitary norms in schools. Specifically, in order to protect students' health, ensure the efficiency of the educational process, and create a healthy environment in schools, the requirements for observing sanitation and hygiene norms in schools will be further increased by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia. Consequently, the monitoring process of schools by local educational resource centers will become more intensive in order to prevent any complications.

To this end, the Ministry once again calls upon school administrations to properly ensure the observance of sanitary and hygienic conditions in schools, for which it is necessary to comply with the following conditions:

• Schools must be wet-cleaned on a daily basis;
• Classrooms, other educational and auxiliary rooms must be cleaned after the end of classes with windows and transoms open. In the case of two shifts, cleaning must be performed twice;
• General cleaning of the building must be carried out using both detergent and disinfectant products;
• Restrooms, buffets, cafeterias, and medical offices must be cleaned with disinfectants;
• Sanitary and technical equipment must be cleaned daily. Toilet seats, flush tank handles, and door handles must be washed using hot water and disinfectants;
• The cafeteria must be cleaned after every breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack;
• Tables and utensils must be washed with special solutions;
• During disinfection, primary attention must be paid to the treatment of items that play a decisive role in the transmission of infection (door handles, doors, table surfaces);
• In the case of airborne droplet infection, classrooms must be ventilated frequently, rooms must be dusted and wet-cleaned;
• The school administration must establish the rules and periodicity of restroom cleaning, as well as the list of cleaning equipment and hygiene products used;
• Garbage bins must be emptied when they are 2/3 full. After emptying, garbage containers must be disinfected;
• Unsupervised animals must not be allowed on the school grounds;
• Wastewater removal/drainage and timely and safe emptying of septic tanks must be ensured at the school;
• Organized by the school administration and through a specialized service, periodic treatment of waste container placement sites, as well as warehouses and basements, must be carried out.

It should also be noted that the Ministry is fully involved in the work of the Interagency Coordination Council, and in the event that the threat of virus spread escalates in any way, an appropriate decision regarding the educational process will be made.