PUTRAJAYA: All school students must return to schools from May 1, in line with the relaxation of Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) announced by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Wednesday (April 27).

       Teachers, regardless of vaccination status, must also return to school for face-to-face teaching.

       ASLO READ: Back to the old-school way

       Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the rules on attendance will return to how they were before the pandemic began.

       Parents must provide a letter explaining their children's absence if a student does not attend school, he said.

       "We will be reopening the education sector as much as possible while ensuring the students are safe," he said when announcing the new SOPs for schools on Thursday (April 28).

       Radzi also said students were encouraged to wear their uniforms to school.

       "This (uniforms) will be compulsory from June 12," he added.

       He also said physical distancing measures in class will end.

       However, he added that teachers must ensure students keep their face masks on whenever they are in class.

       While masks are only mandatory indoors, Radzi said their usage is encouraged in outdoor settings.

       He also said some exceptions apply including teachers not needing to wear face masks when teaching in the front of the class.

       The guide was formed to include the latest standard operating procedures announced by Khairy on Wednesday.

       Among them is that wearing face masks is mandatory in all indoor settings, including classrooms.