Govt Studying Risk Posed By 27,000 Cross-border Kids

The Education Secretary, Kevin Yeung, said on Wednesday that the government is discussing with Shenzhen authorities ways to facilitate 27,000 children crossing the border every day to attend schools here and assessing the risk of such high numbers coming into the city.

The government has announced that schools can start reopening from May 27 after a break of more than three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Yeung said the SAR government had to consider the public health risk posed by cross-border students.

“We are not talking about a small number. Not dozens or hundreds of people, but more than 20,000 crossing the border every day. We have to think if there’s anything extra we can do to mitigate the risk,” he said.

The secretary also said that even though the SAR government can exempt these students from the current quarantine requirements, the same exemption would have to be granted by the Shenzhen authorities.

Currently all people entering Guangdong province from Hong Kong have to undergo mandatory quarantine.

“Every day they have to go back to the mainland, it’s impractical if they have to be quarantined for 14 days in Shenzhen," Yeung said.

He noted that these students usually cross the border via different control points, such as Shenzhen Bay in the west of Hong Kong, and Lo Wu to the north.

With the Shenzhen Bay port being the only one left open amid the pandemic, Yeung said authorities had to consider how students could travel to schools in north district.

He said a backup plan would be in place to help students continue leaning from the mainland, if they can’t get to schools here.

For local students, Yeung said they would be required to wear face masks at all time on campus and in school buses.

A letter sent by the Education Bureau to all schools says students should avoid sitting face-to-face. It advises schools to implement a flexible timetable so students don’t have to go to or leave schools at the same time, to avoid crowds.

Yeung noted that some schools plan to extend the school year for one to two weeks or arrange extra classes during the summer holiday. He said schools can make decisions based on their students’ needs.