JEDDAH – Principals and supervisors of international schools have scotched rumors that they are planning to close for summer vacations ahead of schedule because of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. Speculations are rife among the expatriate community that private schools will advance the final exams and close for the summer break early. But many school authorities told the Saudi Gazette that they are not planning to close ahead of schedule until and unless they receive a notice from the Ministry of Education in this regard. The Ministry of Education is assuring students, teachers and parents that there is no need for panic and schools will follow their academic schedule, said Abdul Majid Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of the Department of Education in Jeddah. Muhammad Al-Haizan, spokesman of the Ministry of Higher Education, said that there is no decision from their ministry to close universities or re-schedule the examinations. But universities can take “independent decisions” if they want to close earlier than schedule just like they did during the floods when some universities decided to close while others remained open, Al-Haizan said. Meanwhile, specialists from the World Health Organization and different countries arrived here on Wednesday to check on the situation in the city most affected by the coronavirus as health authorities announced two new deaths from the virus in the Kingdom, where 16 more infections were also detected. The experts are also scheduled to visit the King Abdullah Medical Complex and also tour other hospitals. A 41-year-old man in the northwestern city of Tabuk and an 88-year-old in Riyadh died of MERS, bringing to 107 the total deaths since the disease appeared in the Kingdom in September 2012, the Health Ministry said. It said 16 new infections nationwide have raised the total number of cases diagnosed to 361.
