Hong Kong to resume face-to-face classes in a phased manner from September 23

In a bid to ease strict coronavirus restrictions, the Hong Kong government reportedly said that the city will be resuming face-to-face school classes from September 23. The schools in the former British colony had been shut since January, with many switching to online learning. However, with daily coronavirus cases dropping substantially to single and low double-digit from triple digits, Kevin Yeung, who is Hong Kong’s Secretary for Education, reportedly said that the resumption would be phased and schools will reopen in late September. 

As per reports, Yeung informed that grades 1, 5 and 6 will resume for secondary schools, primary schools and upper kindergartens on September 23. The remaining grades would reportedly then open on September 29. 

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While the earlier restrictions had kept nearly 900,000 students working at home for over four months, it was noted that the reversal in policy came after several teachers, parents and students expressed that the switch to online classes has led to learning gap between the haves and have-nots. According to reports, over two-thirds of parents, regardless of income, believed that their kids were having difficulty learning at home. Moreover, a survey conducted by The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) reportedly also noted that out of nearly 600 low- income students, 70 per cent did not have access to computers and 28 per cent had no broadband at home. 

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Social distancing norms eased

Following a drop in coronavirus cases, Hong Kong also started relaxing social distancing norms in the city. Last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, during a briefing on the coronavirus situation in the city, even stated that there had been a significant drop in new cases and that it was a ‘reassuring’ sign. Despite the announcement that measures will be eased, some restrictions and rules are still in place in order to ensure that the deadly virus does not reappear in the city. 

Moreover, the Chinese government is offering mass coronavirus testing for all Hong Kong residents starting this week. According to reports, nearly 500,000 people have already signed up for the free testing. 80 testing sites have been reportedly prepared by the government in gymnasiums and community centres have already been completely booked.  

The mass enrollment by citizens is being taken as a positive sign because the city has been gripped with pro-democracy protests against the authorities and Beijing. The recently passed National Security Law in Hong Kong is considered by many to be draconian and even foreign governments have objected to the law claiming that it infringes upon the rights of Hong Kongers.

(Image: Rep/Pixabay) 

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