Schools in 12 Sarawak districts to reopen on Monday

The environment department has announced that schools across 12 Sarawak districts will resume operations on Monday, with the exception of Serian and Lubok Antu. At the time of reporting, air quality readings in Serian (210) and Sri Aman (190) were classified as "very unhealthy," while Samarahan (167), Kuching (166), and Sibu (113) were marked as "unhealthy."

These readings represent a 24-hour rolling average, not immediate measurements. The state education department confirmed that all primary and secondary schools in Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Sri Aman, Kanowit, Julau, Meradong, Bintulu, and Tatau/Sebauh would reopen. Face masks would soon be provided to students, teachers, and staff in areas severely impacted by the haze.

Schools were advised to take necessary precautions if air pollution levels exceeded 100. Outdoor activities should be suspended if the Air Pollution Index (API) reading exceeded 100, and schools would close immediately if the API surpassed 200. If the API rose above 500, teachers and staff would not be required to report to work.

Parents and guardians could keep their children home if they felt concerned about their health due to the haze, but schools needed to be notified.