Ho Chi Minh City schools to stay closed through April 19
All schools in Ho Chi Minh City will remain closed until at least April 19 as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic has not been subdued.
In its latest directive, the municipal People’s Committee asked all K-12 students, as well as university and college students, in the southern metropolis to stay home through April 19.
Meanwhile, all vocational school students will not resume school until at least May 3.
The move further extends a two-month school closure in Ho Chi Minh City due to COVID-19.
Relevant agencies will review the COVID-19 situation by April 19 to decide whether students can go back to school after the date or continue to stay home.
In the meantime, all certification exams for foreign languages, information technology, skills education, and extracurricular activities are also suspended until further notice.
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City had earlier ordered schools closed through March 29.
Schools across Vietnam have remained shut since the end of the Lunar New Year holiday in early February, with the closure being repeatedly extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local departments of education and training, together with the education ministry, have been applying alternative teaching methods such as online lessons and educational television to keep students focused on schoolwork.
COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected nearly 722,200 people and killed more than 34,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics.
About 151,800 cases have recovered worldwide.
Vietnam has so far confirmed 194 infections, with 55 having been successfully treated and discharged from the hospital as of Monday morning.
Ho Chi Minh City has reported 45 cases, ten of whom have walked out of the hospital free of the virus.
No fatality related to the disease has been recorded in Vietnam.
Tuoi Tre News – March 30, 2020