No thermometer = $5 fine at poly

STUDENTS at Republic Polytechnic risk paying a $5 fine if they do not bring their thermometers with them to campus.

They are to check their temperatures twice a day and declare their readings online, as part of stringent precautions set up at the school yesterday.

The Woodlands institution has also set up a thermal scanner and screening station at its main entrance to check all students and staff for fever and take their attendance.

The other 29 entrances have been sealed off, and those used more frequently are manned by security guards who then direct people to the main entrance.

Anyone whose temperature is 37.6 deg C and above is taken aside and rechecked. If the reading persists, they are asked to go home and see a doctor.

Videos about the Influenza A (H1N1) virus and hand-washing techniques will be played on 10 screens around the school.

Singapore, Nanyang and Ngee Ann polytechnics also started temperature monitoring and putting up thermal scanners yesterday. Temasek Polytechnic will be setting up its thermal scanner today.

Likewise, schools, from pre-schools to universities, have been beefing up anti-flu measures such as taking the temperature of students and staff and recording visitors' contact details.

Some schools are also monitoring the travel patterns of teachers and students. Anyone who has been to Mexico over the past week will have to quarantine himself at home for seven days to avoid infecting others.

Some schools, such as Yio Chu Kang Secondary, went a step further and cancelled their traditional morning assemblies yesterday.

The principal of Yio Chu Kang, Mr Saminathan Gopal, said the school also made sure that the staff manning school gates wore masks.

At Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), the 420 students living in nine hostels have their temperature checked three times a day.

Its principal, Dr Ong Teck Chin, said: 'We even scrub down and disinfect every table, chair and door knob.'

Pre-school chain EtonHouse International sent letters to parents to tell them to keep their sick children at home to prevent the spread of Influenza A.

Overseas trips have also been postponed, with Raffles Institution calling off an upcoming trip to Malaysia for its Secondary 2 students. St Andrew's Junior College also put off all trips initially planned for the June holidays.

The National University of Singapore has postponed four overseas student programmes to the United States, Thailand and Mexico until the situation improves.

Principals said erring on the side of caution would reassure parents and the public that the schools are ready to fight the spread of the virus.

Anderson Primary's principal Martin Tan said: 'We don't want to take any chances with the well- being of our pupils and staff.'