Wary parents launch petition against school reopening amid lingering virus woes in S. Korea

A child holds a sign board while watching a Lunar New Year parade in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York in the United States on Feb 9. [PhotoAgencies]. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

SEOUL, May 7, 2020, Yonhap. While preparations to reopen schools this month are underway, worried parents are demanding the plan to be further postponed due to lingering concerns over the coronavirus that has infected more than 10,000 here, Yonhap reported.

In an unprecedented move, elementary, middle and high schools, as well as kindergartens and childcare centers, have remained closed for the past few months as part of precautionary measures against the contagious virus.

All students — except for those enrolled in kindergartens and childcare centers — have instead been taking online classes since last month, with emergency childcare sessions provided to younger students whose parents are not able to look after them.

The government on Monday announced plans to reopen schools as daily new infections have fallen to single-digit figures over the past few days. Under the phased plan, high school seniors will return to school on May 13, while students in all other grades will go back by June 1.

South Korea’s daily new infections, which hit a high of 909 on Feb. 29, have fallen to below 10 over the past few days, with most of the infections coming from imported cases.

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