(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong schools will remain shut until at least the end of the Easter break in mid-April, extending a closure that began a month ago.
Schools will remain suspended at least until April 20, after the Easter holiday, Secretary of Education Kevin Yeung said in a briefing Tuesday. Written tests for university entrance exams will still be held as planned from March 27 onward, as education officials think it will be safe to organize exams as long as preventive measures are fully prepared..
“Extending school closure is a very difficult decision as many students want to go back to school,” Yeung said. “But this is the safest decision that can ensure students’ health as international medical experts expect the virus outbreak will continue for a while.”
Earlier this month, the Hong Kong government extended school closures to March 16. The city’s students haven’t gone to school since the Lunar New Year break began in late January. The third and final secondary school placement exam for Grade 6 primary school students has been canceled.
The secretary again encouraged students to keep up with their education through e-learning. He said there’s no need to change summer vacation arrangements at this time.
The situation has put a strain on parents in Hong Kong, who have had to endure shutdowns first from the anti-government protests, and now from the coronavirus. It has also put Hong Kong’s international schools in a difficult spot, with some warning they may have to shut for good if families leave the city.
Hong Kong has 81 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a government statement late Monday. The illness has claimed more than 2,600 lives in mainland China since emerging in December. Nearly 78,000 people in China have been diagnosed with the virus, most in Hubei province, where the outbreak began.
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