Hong Kong to Halt In-Person Secondary School Starting Monday

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong plans to halt in-person secondary school classes starting on Monday as it works to contain twin Covid outbreaks caused by the omicron and delta variants.

The heightened measures come as a handful of infections have been reported in middle school students, and dozens of teachers and children have been ordered into quarantine after potential exposure. The city moved kindergarten and primary school classes online last week after some pupils were infected by family members, spurring worry from the parents of their classmates.

The latest round of in-person school suspensions underscores the zero-tolerance approach in Hong Kong, where fewer than a dozen local cases are detected on most days. Rival cosmopolitan cities, from New York to London and Sydney, are keeping classes open and learning to live alongside the virus, despite reporting thousands of new cases every day. 

Parents Decry Hong Kong Schools Shutdown as ‘Groundhog Day’

The school shutdown is at least the fourth since the pandemic began, including one that was among the longest school closures globally. It will last until Feb. 7, the government said in a statement.

The decision is part of Hong Kong’s commitment to a Covid Zero policy that aims to eradicate the virus within its borders. It will put fresh strain on families in the Asian financial hub as the Lunar New Year approaches on Feb. 1, a holiday traditionally marked by large family gatherings. It’s the third time that Covid-19 has damped what is normally the biggest public holiday of the year.

Vaccinating Children 

The city is set to start vaccinating children age 5 to 11, offering Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s shots beginning on Friday and BioNTech SE’s shots in mid-February. It has fully vaccinated 64% of its population, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker, one of the lowest levels among developed economies.

Hong Kong has reported about 90 locally-transmitted infections since the end of December when omicron breached its fortress-like borders, after being largely Covid-free for more than half a year. While the majority of the new cases are omicron, a recent flare-up of delta this week shocked officials. The infection in a 23-year-old pet store employee with no recent international travel or high-risk contacts led authorities to order the culling of nearly 2,000 small pet animals. 

Hong Kong to Cull Over 1,000 Hamsters After Delta Flare

The city closed bars, beaches, beauty parlors and dining-in at restaurants after 6 p.m earlier this month, and the rule is set to be extended until after the Lunar New Year holidays. It also barred travelers from eight major countries, including the U.S. and U.K., to reduce imported cases of Covid, stranding many residents abroad. 

The decision was reported earlier by local media including Now TV and Cable TV. 

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