COVID-19 Test

Friday, July 16th was scheduled to be the last day of the term. There was to be an online ceremony to kick off the summer holidays for students and teachers. I and many teachers had arranged to attend school in the morning and then go home around lunchtime. There were no regular classes that day, so I was simply going to prepare for my English camps that were to start the next week.

Notify the 3rd grade teacher.
This afternoon, it was confirmed that the student's cohabitation was confirmed with Corona19. (Additional tests are being carried out for accurate test results.
Therefore, the teacher who received this message, please inform the Nice Work Situation Department about 'working from home' tomorrow.
Our students are most likely to have their test tomorrow morning, and the test results will be available tomorrow afternoon or the morning of the day after tomorrow.  Additional actions may be taken depending on the test results.  Additional information and measures will be notified via SMS text message.  Please follow the personal quarantine rules and stay at home.
*If you are unable to work remotely (Teams and telecommuting Sangsin) while working from home tomorrow, please let us know by texting

Something very unusual happened on the evening of Thursday, July 15th. I received texts from the school that was sent to select faculty and was, of course, written in Korean. I put the text through Google Translate and it explained that a parent of a student at our school had tested positive for COVID-19. Students in that grade were instructed to get a COVID-19 test the next morning, and those teachers who received the text should also arrange a COVID-19 test by the morning at 11:30am. Obviously, teachers were not to go to school in the morning.

There were further instructions for the COVID-19 test that were a little troubling for me. The test center was about 20 minutes away, but I wasn't actually sure where. The instructions said to travel by your own car, but I do not have a car. I supposed taking the bus or subway was discouraged to prevent the possible infection of others. It was late at night and I wasn't sure what I was going to do in the morning. I was fairly certain that I shouldn't go to school the next day, but not positive about that. Google Translate isn't perfect.

We will send you a correction message.  Notify the 3rd grade teacher.  The test result of the student living with our school was 'positive'.  Therefore, our student went to have an examination today.  Preemptively, all faculty and staff have decided to undergo a COVID-19 test.

1. Among the teachers who are working from home, please visit the S- Public Health Center ward office by 11:30 at the latest after the homeroom break and get tested for COVID-19.

2. Among those who work from home, non-homeroom teachers, please visit the ward office of the S- Public Health Center from 9:00 and receive a Corona 19 test.

When visiting the public health center, please use your own car, wear a health mask, and tell us the name of the school that you came to have an examination at X.

To make matters worse, my Korean co-teacher who would normally translate and explain everything for me was unavailable for a few days. She just had minor surgery and was recovering in the hospital.

The next morning, I sent a text to another Korean-English teacher at the school and asked her to call me when she had some free time. I hoped that she would be able to explain things to me. She responded that she would call, but never did.

Later on, to my surprise, my co-teacher called from the hospital. It was kind that she was concerned about me, but the call was pretty bizarre. It seemed like she was a little panicked and her tone was accusatory. "What are you planning to do?", she said. I explained that I was waiting for a call from the other Korean-English teacher to explain things. Perhaps I would have to take a taxi to the testing center since public transit was not permitted. I was just going to sit tight until I received further instructions.

Suddenly the text came in, "Be ready and waiting outside of the school at 10:10am. Teacher X will drive you to the testing center and you'll get tested together." I would have liked to avoid the COVID-19 test altogether, but that was impossible. The test was imminent.

I met the English teacher outside of the school, and another teacher was sitting in the passenger seat. I recognized the teacher from school, but never spoke to her. I learned in the car that she could speak basic English. Before we departed, the teacher asked me to move from the back driver's side seat to the back passenger side seat because "she was heavy". I think that was her polite way of saying that I would throw off the balance of the car because I was too big. What a nice way to start my day.

I could tell that tensions were high and everyone was stressed because the two Korean teachers were in a very animated conversation and it felt like they were arguing at first. The teacher who was driving apologized and said she has a high temper. 

I learned from the teachers that it was a grade 3 student whose parent tested positive for COVID-19. All of the students in that grade were being tested. Initially, it was only teachers who taught third grade who were to be tested (me included) but that was changed to all teachers in the school.

We drove to the testing centre and found a long line of people from our school and the community waiting for their chance to be tested. Actually, the line moved quickly and we were in and out within 25 minutes or so. 

First, we needed to complete a form with our personal information. The Korean teacher helped me with that. Then it was our turn for the test. I sat in a chair in an outdoor area next to a nurse who was fully covered in personal protective equipment and a white jumpsuit. She had a long prod which she suddenly shoved up my nose, much too far for comfort. My eyes watered. Then she stuck what I hope was a different prod into the back of my throat. I gagged but before I knew it, the test was complete. For several minutes after, it felt like my brain was dripping out of my nostril. On the way back to the car, the Korean teacher asked if her nose was bleeding. It wasn't.

The only good thing about this whole situation was that after the test we could just go home and start our weekend and summer vacation. We would have to wait at least 6 hours for the results and possibly until the next morning. I was confident that I would test negative but I wondered about the students and other teachers. If someone tested positive, it would likely cause my English camps to be cancelled or switched online at the last minute. The camps were to start on Monday, so that was certainly up in the air.

The teacher who drove said that since I taught the third-grade students I should remain in my apartment for one week, regardless of my test results, for safety. In no way was this official policy or even suggested by the school. It was just a controlling person being controlling. She's the teacher who won't let me call on students when they raise their hands in class. She has to be the one to choose the student. Anyway, I didn't follow her personal medical directive to imprison myself at home.

That evening another text was sent to the school community, including parents, that explained that all teachers and students tested negative. This was very welcomed news. Hurried plans of doing an online English camp were set aside. With the negative test, everything seemed to go back to normal. I was free to leave my apartment. 

This is a notice to students and parents of X Middle School.
We inform you that the test result of our student is ‘negative’.
We would like to inform you that the test results of the faculty and staff who preemptively tested this morning are also 'negative'.
As the COVID-19 situation is still at a serious stage, we ask that students and parents strictly observe (instruct) the use of multi-use facilities during vacation and personal quarantine rules.
In addition, the self-diagnosis before going to school will be temporarily suspended from 7/19 to 8/12 and will be conducted again on 8/13 (Fri) one week before school starts.
However, even during the period during which self-diagnosis is not being performed, if a student or a person living with the student is confirmed (positive) or received a notice of self-quarantine, please be sure to notify the homeroom teacher by phone.
In the future, the school will do its best for a safe and healthy school life.
I hope you have a healthy and enjoyable vacation.

One unbelievable thing happened in this episode. The school principal was given my (and everyone's) test results and communicated them to the school community before I received my test results. I was expecting a notification from the test center with the results of my test. The message finally came from the testing center, but not until the next day, multiple hours after the principal's announcement. Certainly back in Canada confidentiality would be respected and no one other than the patient would receive the test results. Here, the school principal and employer has a lot more power. Their responsibility for the well-being of the students and management of the school supersedes any privacy rights of the teachers.

Next up in this COVID-19 saga, I receive a vaccination. Stay tuned.