Students across Vietnam are returning to their classrooms that had been closed for three months to curb the coronavirus
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BANGKOK -- Students across Vietnam started returning to their classrooms Monday that had been closed to curb the coronavirus.
“I am so excited to go back to school, to be with my teachers and my classmates after three months,” said Chu Quang Anh, a sixth-grade student at Dinh Cong secondary school in Hanoi.
Students are required to wear masks, among other measures to minimize the spread of the virus.
“It is very important to apply preventive measures during this time. We have hand sanitizers available in many places. The students are scanned for temperatures at the gate when they enter the school and when they are in the classrooms and their health is recorded," teacher Dinh Bich Hien said.
Vietnam has confirmed 271 coronavirus cases. It has not reported any new case in the community for nearly three weeks.
All educational institutions were closed at the beginning of February when the first cases were reported in the country and all learning was moved online. Last month, the country imposed travel restrictions and closed businesses for three weeks.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
— ZERO CASES IN NEW ZEALAND: For the first time since mid-March, New Zealand reported no new cases of the coronavirus. It's an indication the country’s bold strategy of trying to eliminate the virus is working. New Zealand closed its borders and imposed a strict monthlong lockdown after the outbreak began. It eased the rules a little last week to help reopen the economy. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a decision would be made next Monday on whether to ease the rules further. “We cannot afford to squander the good work to date when our end goal is so close and within reach,” she said.
— MALAYSIAN BUSINESSES REOPENING: Many business sectors reopened in parts of Malaysia as Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government sought to balance between curbing the virus and reviving the hard-hit economy. But the move has split public opinion amid fears that the sudden reopening of economic activities could spark a new wave of infection. Nine of the country’s 13 states, including the richest state Selangor, either refused to reopen or restricted the list of businesses that can operate. Mass gatherings and interstate travel remain banned. Virus cases have dropped sharply in recent weeks but a slight rise of 227 infections was reported over the weekend. Malaysia has confirmed 6,298 cases, with 105 deaths.
— JAPAN EXTENDS EMERGENCY: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday that he will extend Japan's coronavirus state of emergency by about a month. Abe said the number of new cases has not declined enough and hospitals remain overburdened. He declared the state of emergency on April 7, initially only for Tokyo and six other urban prefectures, but later extending it to the entire nation. He asked people to voluntarily reduce social interactions by up to 80%, but stopped short of asking businesses to close. Tokyo and several other prefectures have asked nightclubs, fitness centers, museums and other non-essential businesses to close. Japan has more than 15,000 cases with 510 deaths.
— SOUTH KOREA OPENING SCHOOLS: South Korea says it will start allowing students to return to their classrooms next week amid signs that the coronavirus outbreak is waning. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said Monday that high school seniors will return on May 13 and students in lower grades in phased steps starting May 20. She says 5.4 million students have been studying online since April 9. Patient numbers have been declining, prompting authorities to relax social distancing rules. On Monday, South Korea reported eight new cases, taking its total to 10,801.
— SOME ACTIVITY RESUMING IN INDIA: India has relaxed some lockdown restrictions as the pace of infections has slightly accelerated. On Monday some economic activities resumed after a near-total 5-week halt. Normal life, albeit with masks, social distancing and stringent hygiene standards, has started to return in low-risk areas, while constraints on movement and work continues elsewhere. India has about 42,500 cases, including 1,373 deaths, and had tested more than a million samples by Monday. Still, at 758 tests per million, it is among the countries with the lowest fraction of their population tested. Experts warn that the virus has yet to peak.
— SRI LANKA EASES CURFEW: Sri Lanka partially eased its curfew in areas where the virus is considered more under control, though a 24-hour curfew remains in effect in high-risk areas including the capital, Colombo. The curfew is being lifted only for three days from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in 21 of the island's 25 districts. Sri Lanka has detected seven deaths and 718 cases, more than 300 of them among naval sailors or their contacts in the past week. Both government and private sector workers are expected to start returning to work next week, though the 24-hour curfew may remain in places.
— TOBACCO FACTORY CLUSTER: Health authorities in an Indonesian province are considering pulling cigarettes by Philip Morris-owned Sampoerna after a coronavirus cluster was identified among factory workers. Two workers have died and 63 others tested positive at one of its factories in Indonesia’s second-largest city, Surabaya. East Java province task force official Heru Tjahjono said authorities are trying to determine how many cigarettes made at the factory are in circulation. The cluster has raised concerns about allowing factories to operate during the pandemic. A director of PT HM Sampoerna Tbk, Elvira Lianita, said the company has tried to prevent the coronavirus's spread since mid-March by applying health protocols and social distancing. She said the withdrawal of its cigarette products should not be necessary because the company stores all cigarettes for five days before they are distributed.
— LOW CASES IN CHINA: China reported three new virus cases, all brought from overseas, and no new deaths. It said just 481 people remain in hospitals with about 1,000 under monitoring and isolation. China has reported a total of 4,633 deaths from the virus among 82,880 cases.
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