Coronavirus: from quarantine to class disruption, uncertainty has Hong Kong’s cross-border students on edge

Some prepare to self-quarantine in hopes of taking exams on time, while parents fret their children will face discrimination amid virus fears

One Baptist University student stuck in Wuhan says classmates told her they were the real victims

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A traveller arrives in Hong Kong from the mainland via the Shenzhen Bay Port. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 4:00pm, 13 Feb 2020Updated: 5:31pm, 13 Feb 2020

Students who cross the border to study in Hong Kong are stuck in limbo, they say, plagued by uncertainty over a timeline for the resumption of classes and the possible deferment of major exams amid the coronavirus outbreak that has disrupted their ability to cross the border.

Several students told the Post this week that among the problems they faced upon their eventual returns to the city were accommodation issues and the reality of a 14-day mandatory quarantine. Their parents, meanwhile, said they worried their children could face discrimination tied to the outbreak.

There are 12,000 mainland Chinese students studying at Hong Kong universities and 28,000 kindergarten, primary and secondary pupils who cross the border every day to attend classes.

The Education Bureau announced on Thursday a further extension of school closures till March 16 while universities have also suspended classes till next month or until further notice.

Cross-border students arrive at the Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School in Tsing Yi on the first day of school. Photo: Dickson Lee

Of those cross-border secondary school students, more than 370 are expected to sit for the university entrance Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams, which were originally expected to take place in March, but could now be postponed by up to a month.

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