A huge spike of new coronavirus cases in South Korea has hindered school reopening. The Ministry of Education is expected to communicate in the next few days about when the schools will reopen.
Until recently, school reopening seemed imminent as South Korea started pushing forward with the reopening of the economy. The new infections have also affected teachers and students and their severity will determine how long schools will take to reopen.
School reopening decision
The decision to reopen schools is being reviewed by the Ministry of Education, who are weighing the risk of school-going children and teachers will be exposed to, in case they decide to reopen schools.
However, the support on reopening has been minimal, especially from parents who gave their own misgivings about the process. The fear that their children might be infected with the virus and transmit it back home to vulnerable family members is a major concern. Parents also want to make sure that their children are safe when the schools finally reopen.
New coronavirus cases
The uptick of the cases of coronavirus has been traced to a multicultural district in Seol called Itaewon. So far, more than 120 people who visited the clubs in town have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The number of students directly linked to the clubs has also risen to 10 patients, who came to contact with people who had visited the clubs. a teenage student and his mother in Incheon were also confirmed to be positive after coming into contact with a teacher who had spent time at the clubs in the city.
Spread of the virus in schools
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education confirmed that some 158 teachers and school officials had visited the clubs between April 29th to May 6th. Their cases are still being reviewed, and they have already undergone tests for coronavirus.
The risks involved in school reopenings have already lead to postponement of reopening five times. The ministry has announced that senior high school students will resume school on May 20th. However, the rest of the students will have to wait for a date to be communicated this week or early next week.
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