HONG KONG - All schools in Hong Kong will remain closed, at least until March 16. This was announced by the Secretary of Education, Kevin Yeung, on Thursday (13/2/2020). The policy was issued in order to prevent the spread of the Corona virus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Yeung said, this is not an extension of the Chinese New Year holiday. The students remain “in school”, with the teaching and learning process being held online.
When asked why classes were not suspended for a longer period, Yeung said: "There is actually more than one month of suspension [starting today], which I think is quite a while," he said, as reported by Hong Kong broadcaster Radio Television. (RTHK).
He added that the government needs to balance the interests of students, parents and schools. "We will continue to consider professional advice from health experts, school readiness, as well as epidemic prevention materials in the community in determining the exact date for class resumption," he said.
The government first extended the Lunar New Year holidays for schools to February 17. Then, delay it again until March 2.
[DDHKNews]
