THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers reiterated its call for a two-week health break in areas placed under Alert Level 3 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases.

A survey conducted by the ACT NCR Union chapter revealed that 55.1 percent of teacher respondents in the region have flu symptoms amid the surge in Covid19 cases.

On Monday when the Department of Health recorded the highest daily count of new infections at 33,169, the group surveyed 7,448 public school teachers to gather their current health situation. The most common symptoms experienced by the respondents were colds (46.6 percent) and coughs (44.5 percent).

“Many of our teachers have been sick since the new year started; like the rest of the country, it seems. Nearly every household we know has a sick member in it. Teachers and students alike are struggling to keep holding classes amid this Omicron-driven surge. Either we’re sick or we’re taking care of family members who are. It’s only humane to give all of us a break amid this outbreak, if only to allow us to recover,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

The group also found in the survey that 84.7 percent of respondents continue to teach and perform other school tasks despite being sick.

The survey also revealed that 76.2 percent of respondents have not received medical support, any leeway at work, or financial aid.

Teachers reported that class participation has dropped as many students have also taken ill.

“The 14-day health break will provide us with enough time to recuperate from whatever symptoms our teachers and students are experiencing at the moment. With that said, this time should be 100 percent dedicated to getting better and thus should not be utilized for asynchronous classes nor for webinars or whatnots,” the group said.

“We don’t want a replay of last school year, where students were given a break in mid-March while teachers were forced to attend in-service trainings. We all need a break, as well as medical support from DepEd and the rest of the government,” Basilio added.