Hong Kong will extend school closures at least to Mar 16 due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said in a briefing Thursday (Feb 13).
“We are continuing to listen to medical professionals,” Yeung said. “We will announce the date to resume school when all conditions are satisfied.”
Students were supposed to return to classes on Feb 17, then were told it’s been delayed to Mar 2.
Yeung says “social distancing and avoiding the mass movement of people” are key to preventing and controlling the outbreak.
Hong Kong has 50 confirmed coronavirus cases and is on the front lines of the now-global battle to contain the illness, which has claimed more than 1,300 lives in mainland China since emerging in December.
Nearly 60,000 people in China have been diagnosed with the virus, mostly in Hubei province, where the outbreak began.
Many schools in Hong Kong have already switched to online learning and lessons by conference call, with assignments given out on a daily or weekly basis.
The outbreak has triggered fresh tensions between the government and residents, many of who have called for full closure of the border with mainland China.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has closed some cross-border links but has said completely sealing it would be inappropriate, impractical and discriminatory.
- Source: News websites
