Deputy Education Minister Dr Mah Hang Soon said that the reopening of schools to only SPM and STPM students was a "balanced" decision taken to minimise the risk of exposure to Covid-19 and the disruption to tertiary education plans.

Mah said on a Facebook post that the number of students who were presently allowed in schools only comprises about 20 percent of the student population, and the reopening schools to all students would lead to a greater risk of Covid-19 exposure.