More Pupils Return To School After Covid-19 Closures

Classes for primary four to secondary two students resumed on Monday with stepped up hygiene measures, following months of closures due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Special hygiene measures were implemented in schools to prevent the spread of the virus, such as temperature checks and hand sanitising for students.

Chow Kim-ho, the head of the Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School, said his school had around 180 cross-border students who are unable to get to class, and after discussions with parents, it had been arranged for those students to follow lessons via the video conferencing app Zoom.

Chow said that for those able to return to school, the seating arrangement has been adjusted with all students sitting in rows facing the blackboard, and air purifiers have also been placed inside classrooms.

He said that in order to make sure the live broadcast of classes goes smoothly, each class with have three members of staff responsible for teaching, filming the class, and answering questions from students studying over Zoom.

Some students told RTHK they were happy to be back as they missed their classmates.

Parents also expressed relief at children returning to school. One parent told RTHK that looking after her daughter every day was like being a "cowherd" as the girl always went to bed late and kept messing around.

Another said her son has not done any exercise for the last few months because a lot of facilities, such as swimming pools, have been shut, and she said that hopefully he will become more active again now classes are resuming.

Classes also resumed for students at schools near the Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin, despite concerns from parents about a cluster of local infections there.

Tin Siu-bun, Vice principal at S.K.H. Holy Spirit Primary School, told RTHK that about 10 of his pupils live in Luk Chuen House on the estate and that all of them and their families tested negative for Covid-19.

Tin added that a lot of parents are still concerned about the pandemic in general, and some have chosen to keep their children at home instead of sending them back to school.

He said that children who are being kept at home by parents because of health concerns would not be counted as absentees.