The Ministry of Education is strongly advising kindergarten to high school students to take rapid antigen tests at home twice a week before going to school amid a massive surge in infections.
The non-binding recommendation was issued Wednesday as part of a virus prevention scheme for schools that are bracing for the new semester next month as the Omicron variant contiues to spread rapidly.
The government will distribute 60.5 million COVID-19 home test kits for 6.92 million students, teachers and other school staff between late February and the end of March.
The ministry has adopted a four-tier school operation scheme for the spring semester, ranging from regular in-person classes to virtual classes.
Each school will operate under the tier that best fits it virus situation.
According to education authorities, more than 5,700 students in Seoul have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, more than doubling from a week earlier due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
