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Chinese finance hub Shanghai set to reopen all schools, but Covid-19 lockdown fears persist

  • Schools to reopen on September 1, with daily after-hours Covid-19 tests mandated for all teachers and students
  • Lockdown fears linger, however, as China sticks to a dynamic zero policy against the coronavirus

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Streetside mass coronavirus tests being carried out in Shanghai. Photo: EPA-EFE
Shanghai will reopen all schools including kindergartens, primary and middle schools on September 1, after months of Covid-19 closures.
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All teachers and students must undergo nucleic acid tests for the coronavirus before leaving campus every day, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission said in announcing the reopening on Sunday.

The commission also called on teachers and students to carry out a 14-day “self health management” within the city ahead of the school reopening.

Shanghai shut all schools in mid-March, weeks before it imposed a two-month lockdown to combat the city’s worst Covid-19 outbreak.

A makeshift hospital set up for coronavirus patients in Shanghai in April. Photo: AFP
A makeshift hospital set up for coronavirus patients in Shanghai in April. Photo: AFP

Some high school and middle school students were allowed return to classrooms in June, while most of the rest continued home study for the remainder of the semester.

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The announcement on schools reopening brings great relief to many residents but fears about further lockdowns persist, as China vows to stick to its dynamic zero policy, which requires all positive cases and their close contacts to undergo quarantine.
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