Japan demands school closure/US: High school closed amid...
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that the government will ask all elementary, junior-high and high schools to temporarily close beginning March 2, a couple of weeks ahead of the spring break, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Abe made the request at a task force meeting on COVID-19 held at
around 6.p.m. local time, adding that the next week or two will be
crucial in fighting the outbreak.
An elementary school student wearing a mask walks at a snow-covered
street in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, February 26, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
"Above everything else, the health and safety of the children should be prioritised, and we should be prepared for the risk of large-scale infections due to many children and teachers gathering for long periods of time on a daily basis," said Abe.
"The government considers the health and safety of children above anything else," Abe said.
"We request all primary, junior high and high schools... across the nation to close temporarily from March 2 next week until their spring break."
The spring break for public schools usually starts late March in Japan.
"Efforts to prevent the spread of infections among children are being made in various areas," Abe added.
Meanwhile, Abe ordered the government to "prepare necessary legislation to curb the spread of infections and minimize the impact on the lives of people as well as the economy."
The remarks came a day after he asked organizers of big sport and cultural events to consider cancelling or postponing them in the next two weeks.
Many public elementary schools and junior high schools in northern Hokkaido were closed on Thursday as the governor has requested the public schools to be closed for about a week.
The city of Osaka also said it will close its kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools from Saturday for two weeks.
However, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, nursery schools will be excluded from the nationwide closure request.
Why is Japan closing schools?
The closure - thought to affect 13 million students - will continue until the school year ends in late March.
The closures are set to take effect on Monday and will last until the end of spring vacation - typically in early April.
Mr Abe said the first weeks of March would be an "extremely critical period" for preventing virus transmission.
"The government attaches the top priority to the health and safety of children," he said.
It follows China's decision not to reopen schools on the mainland after the Spring Festival holiday and instead ask nearly 200 million students to follow classes online from their homes. Hong Kong is also keeping schools closed until April.
Many parents in Japan are concerned about what they will do with their children.
"My honest feeling - all schools on break? It's important to protect children, but what happens if they have working parents?" one parent wrote on social media.
Officials say child day care centres and after-school facilities can remain open.
More than 200 people have so far been infected with the coronavirus in Japan.
One woman in her forties in Osaka is said to have tested positive for a second time after earlier recovering.
As of Thursday afternoon, Japan has confirmed more than 910 infections, with more than 700 of them stemming from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Washington high school closed over coronavirus concerns after staff member's relative is tested for virus
A high school in Washington State canceled classes
and was closed on Thursday after a staff member reported that a family
member who had traveled with them internationally became sick and was
being quarantined and tested for the novel coronavirus. In a letter sent to Bothell High School families, Superintendent Michelle Reid said that the staff member was also being quarantined at home for 14 days.
“At
this time, there is no confirmation that the family member’s illness is
connected to the coronavirus outbreak, but out of an abundance of
caution, the family member is being tested,” the letter said.
“Our initial understanding was that we would learn the test results in
one day. However, during my conversation with the Washington State
Department of Health Epidemiologist Scott Lindquist M.D., and
representatives of Public Health Seattle & King County, I was told
that the test results may take 5-7 days.”
Reid said she has requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide more rapid results for COVID-19. Health officials have indicated that they believe the risk to students and staff remains minimal, and that “they do not believe the current situation warrants closing Bothell High School."
“However, as we await the aforementioned test results, it is out of an abundance of caution that I have decided that Bothell High School will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, February 27,” Reid’s letter said. “While today, our support services staff have been taking initial steps to disinfect areas where the staff member traveled on the campus, we need more time to fully and completely disinfect the entire school as a preventive measure.”
Reid also said that officials are in the process of contacting families of students and staff or visitors that the staff member came into contact with on Monday out of an abundance of caution.
“In these unusual circumstances as the national picture continues to evolve – and with the strong presence of social media – I know it is easy to being speculating and questioning,” she said. “I ask for your patience and your respectful grace for our staff member, their family, and our school community.”
Washington has had one confirmed cases of coronavirus, which also marked the first case in the U.S. The Seattle man, who is in his 30s, had recently traveled to China and fell ill upon returning to the U.S., where he contacted health officials and was treated at Providence Regional Medical Center – Everett. He was later released to his home to continue recovering.
The U.S. has had 15 total cases of the novel coronavirus, not including dozens of others which were confirmed in patients who were stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan before being evacuated. The virus has infected 83,000 worldwide and killed over 2,800 people.
Source: AFP, Xinhua, Chinadaily, BBC news;
https://www.foxnews.com,By Alexandria Hein
IJOBINCHINA
Click “Read more” below to apply for an ideal job in China NOW！