Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered to close schools in Japan to prevent coronavirus infection of all elementary and junior high schools nationwide. Schools will close starting Monday and all throughout the student's spring break that ends on early April.
"Efforts have been made to prevent the spread of infection among children in each region, and these one or two weeks will be an extremely critical period," Abe said in a meeting with the key Cabinet ministers on the measure to control the coronavirus outbreak crisis.
Abe stated that keeping the health and safety of children is the top priority of the government. However, the health and welfare ministry said that Abe's request did not include daycare and after school activity centers for all elementary children.
With the surge of confirmed COVID-19 virus patients in Japan, there are already about 200 confirmed cases all over the country from Thursday night. This does not include the 700 coronavirus positive patients from the cruise ship, which was quarantined till Feb.19 this month.
Efforts to slow down the infection rate is in place by the government. As many as 1,600 elementary and junior high schools in Hokkaido are close for a week on the same day.
The Hokkaido education board asked local officials to close all public and private schools, with 50 positive patients identified in the prefecture that includes some students as well.
Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki mentioned in a recent assembly session that all efforts will be done to prevent the virus from spreading in Hokkaido to protect lives and health of people.
One of the schools, Ochanomizu University in Tokyo confirmed that it closed other affiliated schools on Friday, for a month to early April (including spring break). Emperor Naruhito's nephew Prince Hisato goes to a junior high with that same school. One school official commented that it was an extended closure for most schools.
Another measure to prevent any possible infection that can spread to the children is to prevent parents and guardians in attending the graduation and entrance ceremonies for the junior and senior high school.
In Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, 300 elementary and junior high schools in the area will be closing too. According to Masahide Hasegawa, Chief of Sapporo's education board explained the one-day delay in the closure of schools compared to other schools. Said delay aims to give working parents enough time to arrange their working schedules before spring break.
To prevent any transmission of the COVID-19, a survey of all affected teachers are scheduled during the break. They will also carry out sterilizing school facilities at the request of every municipality.
For more awareness of the COVID-19, there will be an orientation for all elementary and junior high students on March 5, then the closure of schools in Hokkaido will follow. High schools are not part of the closing of schools, and their entrance exams will be on March 4 as usual. These measures intend to lessen chances of coronavirus infection of schools in Japan is important with the rampant rise of the virus.
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