PUTRAJAYA: The closure of schools due to COVID-19 will affect the personality and intellectual development of students, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the closure of schools might be the last resort if the COVID-19 infection in the education sector became worse.

"The MOH (Ministry of Health) is of the view that, for now, we should carry out risk evaluation at the school level. Those who test positive for COVID-19 should not attend school and, if necessary, we will ask that only the classes be shut down, not the whole school because this will affect their personality and intellectual development," he told a media conference on COVID-19 development here today.

He said a major portion of COVID-19 cases reported in schools were either asymptomatic or mild symptoms and, for now, no categories four and five cases had been reported.

He added that boarding school students had contributed to the rise in the education cluster and the MOH would hold talks with the Education Ministry to further improve the standard operating procedures (SOP) in hostels.

The MOH data for the fifth Epidemiological Week showed that a total of 52 clusters, or 58.4 per cent, out of the 89 new clusters were education clusters.

Asked about the SOP for prayers in mosques, Khairy said the MOH was currently focusing its attention on the local transmission of the Omicron variant in the country.

"Whatever it is, the MOH's goal for greater openness is still under planning, (it's) just that we want it within the next one month, we want to complete this Omicron chapter first, God willing," he said.

-- BERNAMA