Pres. Park strives to calm MERS woes at schools

President Park Geun-hye visited on Tuesday two schools that reopened after a week-long shutdown over the MERS virus. The visit came one day after she called on people to return to normal as soon as possible. She visited the schools to calm a widespread parent scare over MERS.

President Park repeatedly stressed that parents and students should overcome the MERS fear. At Daemo Elementary School in southern Seoul, she joined a sanitation class for fifth graders. "If you can follow healthy habits, you don’t have to fear MERS," said the president. "MERS is a Middle East-type flu. Though we are perplexed and confused because it is our first time experiencing (MERS), it is an infectious disease that can sufficiently be overcome if we practice what we have learned."

The president also held a separate meeting with parents where she said, "I will support (sufficiently) for you to believe schools are a safe place." The school is located near Samsung Medical Center, which has been a major source of infections. After shut down for seven school days from June 4, Daemo Elementary School resumed regular schedules on Monday.

President Park also visited Seoul Girls` Middle School in northern Seoul. "Classes can be implemented only when there is a belief that schools are a safe place," she told school staff. "Please strengthen disinfection measures (of MERS)." President Park met first grade students and said, "You must have been concerned due to MERS but I`m happy that you are studying with bright faces. I have a feeling that your school is a clean place since (the school) is doing a good job in preventing MERS."

She told a story of a small bird that built a nest at a window crack at the presidential residence, saying, "(Just as we never know what kind of bird will crack out from the egg), I`m aware of how important your dreams and talent are." Seoul Girls` Middle School is a model school that practices free-learning semesters to help students seek career path without taking exams for one semester.

The number of shutdown schools peaked at 2,903 on Friday but plunged to 475 as of Monday. The World Health Organization had urged schools to reopen, saying last week that the outbreak was not directly related to schools being open.

egija@donga.com