Distancing In Place As ESF Schools Reopen

The English Schools Foundation will begin reopening its campuses on Friday for the first time since January, with strict social distancing measures in place as Hong Kong continues to roll back anti-pandemic measures.

But Harry Brown, principal of the ESF's Renaissance College, acknowledged that most pupils and parents would arrive by public transport, which has no social distancing.

Year 12 pupils will be back on the school's campus in Ma On Shan every day, with younger pupils coming in on alternate days. Some of the ESF's two-dozen schools will bring pupils in for half a day at a time.

"We've purchased dividers to put on the tables so there's an additional barrier. Of course there's the sanitation. At our primary school, the government has issued reusable masks that we'll be distributing to students," Brown said. "There's a requirement that everyone on campus wears a mask all day.

"Our physical activity will be limited to non-contact so that we're reducing the likelihood of having direct contact with each other. We've routed our schools to have one-way directions up and down stairwells, our classroom hubs, to reduce the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with each other.

"Having said that, most of our families arrive by MTR, and there's no social distancing there," he added.

Hong Kong schools closed ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in January. Several international schools reopened on Wednesday, while government schools will begin reopening from May 27.