Teachers' Unions Call For Complete School Shutdown

The two biggest teachers’ unions in Hong Kong made separate appeals to the government on Sunday to suspend all in-person classes at primary and secondary schools to prevent Covid-19 outbreaks at local campuses.

The pro-Beijing Federation of Education Workers noted that a number of teachers and students, and family members, have recently tested positive for coronavirus as cases surge across the city.

“The fourth wave of infections is serious. The federation is calling on the Education Bureau to prioritise the health of teachers and students, and announce the suspension of classes quickly,” it said in a statement.

Classes at kindergartens, along with primaries one to three had earlier been suspended as a precaution, but older students are still going to school for face-to-face classes.

The vice president of the Professional Teachers’ Union Ip Kin-yuen is worried that schools could soon become virus hotspots.

“The situation is getting very bad… it’s very obvious. The secondary school students and teachers and also the senior forms of primary schools are exposed to danger. I think this is the time the government should make a very quick decision to suspend classes,” he said.

Ip also urged the government to beef up other measures to stem the spread of the virus.

He said the government has not been consistent in its anti-epidemic efforts, noting that the administration has not yet ordered civil servants to work from home.