The Hong Kong government announced today, January 20, that face-to-face classes for secondary schools in the city will be suspended from Monday. The decision was taken due to the recent resurgence of Covid-19, which has seen students in eight secondary schools infected with the virus.
Schools will reopen on February 7, after the Lunar New Year holidays. However, schools can organize half-day face-to-face classes for Form 6 students preparing for Diploma of Secondary Education examinations, which will begin on April 22. All tuition schools must also suspend operations till February 7.
This development comes after the government decided to close kindergartens, primary schools and daycare centres earlier this month over concerns of the fifth wave of the virus in Hong Kong. The city also lowered the age limit for Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to include children in the 5 to 11 age group.
Sinovac jabs will now be available for children in this age group from January 21, and they can receive BioNTech vaccinations from February 16. However, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yue-ngor has said that vaccinations will not be made mandatory for students to attend in-person classes.
Header image credits: j.casey.oneill via Flickr
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