By Allison Chen
What is COVID-19?
Originated in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 was discovered during December of 2019. As of May 3rd of this year, more than 3.4 million people have been affected and more than 244,000 have died. The primary reasons behind these large statistics is due to the fact that this disease can be spread from the respiratory droplets of an infected person and many refused to wear masks. Symptoms of this disease include fever, chills, muscle pain, and sore throat. Taiwan was able to take preventive measures early on by requiring masks and delaying the opening of schools. For KAS, this meant the start of the two-week Digital Days.
KAS and its Digital Days
Digital Days started on January 30th and ended on February 12th. From Dr. Ploeger’s email, “[the school were] taking every precaution to protect [the] students and [the] community.” The school updated students continuously on the situation to remain transparent with decisions within the school board. Many students agreed that the implementation of the Digital Days were appropriate. Claire Chung (10) explained that it was “a necessary procedure for COVID-19 prevention.” However, not all students were able to keep up with school work during this time. William Yeh suggested that the school should place “less pressure because it’s pretty stressful to be trapped in a house for quarantine and also less unnecessary homework.” He continued, “More video presentations/teachings are preferable than Zoom… since scheduling can be weird for people and with recordings people can watch at their own speed.” These improvements could be seen during the few Digital Days in March and April.
Were all school events cancelled?
Further precautions were taken through cancellations of tournaments and school events. ACAMIS basketball and soccer tournaments originally occurring in China and Hong Kong respectively were cancelled. KAS’s own 30th spring fair was also cancelled. One of the most urgent questions regarding cancellations was if the senior prom and graduation were going to be cancelled. Fortunately so far, these events are still going to happen. The prom is designated to take place on May 15th, and the graduation is following two days after on May 17th. Unlike previous proms, this year’s will be hosted at the school’s cafeteria. The high school student council has been working diligently to create the same experiences the senior class would have if it was to be held at MLD. To achieve this, the student council has hired a wedding venue planning company to help decorate the cafeteria.
How is KAS taking preventive measures?
The school continues to take necessary caution while allowing students to attend classes on campus. All students and faculty members must wear masks during classes. Dining areas have been rearranged in order for students to follow social distancing rules. Most importantly, everybody should recognize the importance of personal hygiene and safety. Please wash your hands often, especially before and after eating. Close contact should be avoided. KAS has issued students to self-quarantine for two weeks if family members or themselves have been outside of Taiwan or if students do not feel well.
To maintain the semi-normal life among this community, please take cautious measures and stay safe!