Class suspensions and early pickups: Hong Kong schools get new Covid-19 guidelines with in-person classes set to resume

Hong Kong’s schools have been advised to immediately suspend face-to-face teaching for one to two days while awaiting official confirmation in the event any staff or students preliminarily test positive for Covid-19.

The updated guidelines by the Education Bureau were issued on Friday, informing schools on how to handle any coronavirus-related situations, with face-to-face classes expected to resume in two phases on a half-day basis later this month. The Centre for Health Protection has advised schools to close for 14 days if they confirm any Covid-19 infections on campus.

Meanwhile, the fresh circular from the bureau offered specific suggestions for schools to follow should confirmed or preliminary cases emerge on campus during school hours.

It suggested that staff or students who had close contact with positive cases should be isolated immediately, while schools should disinfect classrooms and notify parents their children were being let off early.

“For safety reasons, the Education Bureau suggests that schools should suspend face-to-face teaching and activities for one to two days after seeking approval from the Incorporated Management Committee or School Management Committee,” the circular said.

In-school classes could only be resumed after the campus was thoroughly disinfected, it added, noting that schools must keep parents informed throughout the process.

Education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung announced on Monday that students entering Primary Five, Primary Six, Form Five and Form Six in the new academic year, as well as those starting primary or secondary school and their final year of kindergarten, would be the first back on campus starting on September 23. They will be followed on September 29 by pupils from Form Two through Form Four, Primary Two through Primary Four, and kindergarten children in K1 and K2.