All Beijing Schools Ordered to Close, Return to Online Learning

According to an announcement made by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission (BMEC) close to midnight last night all primary and secondary schools, universities, and kindergartens in Beijing must close effective as of today, Wednesday, Jun 17. All on-campus events including graduation ceremonies and training courses must be canceled, and primary and secondary schools are instructed to return to online learning.

The announcement comes after the government raised the city’s emergency response level from 1 to 2, and implemented certain “wartime measures” in a bid to control an apparent new outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Over 100 new cases have been reported in the city since Thursday, Jun 11.

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Following the last-minute announcement, many schools issued emergency notices on WeChat and via newsletter last night, informing parents not to send their children to school the next day.

With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, this announcement marks a sorry end to the 2020 academic calendar, which has been defined by disruption and confusion throughout.

The national college entrance exams – Gaokao – are currently scheduled to take place on Jul 7 and 8, and have already been postponed once, from their usual early June dates. As yet, there have been no announcements as to whether they will be postponed again.

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Photos: Unsplash 

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