"Confirmed Case Visited Mart" ... Rumors Spread, Prompting a 'Same-Day Graduation Ceremony'

Nearby Elementary Schools in Seoul Mapo Area Near Patient No. 23's Movement Path Close One After Another; Graduation Ceremonies Canceled
School Resumes March 2 After Year-End Vacation... Some Schools Face Unavoidable Class Day Adjustments

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] "Mom, I graduated and came home." Kim, a parent living in Nogosan-dong, Seoul, was surprised by her son's words when he returned home after class as usual. The elementary school graduation ceremony, scheduled for next week, was suddenly held that morning without any prior notice. It was confirmed that a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus had visited a nearby large supermarket, leading the school to urgently decide to close. Due to the immediate start of the year-end vacation (spring break), the school hurriedly held the graduation ceremony, and the school notice only arrived as a mobile message the day before.

Kim said, "I heard that parents wouldn't be able to attend the graduation ceremony anyway, and I understand given the emergency situation, but finishing six years of school in such a rushed manner is more than disappointing?it's bewildering." The school decided to send the unprepared diplomas to each household by mail.

On the 7th, as the movement path of the 23rd confirmed novel coronavirus patient was disclosed, schools near the Emart Mapo Gongdeok branch, one of the places the patient visited, all closed simultaneously from the 10th. According to the Seoul Western Education Support Office, Gongdeok Elementary, Mapo Elementary, Seogang Elementary, Seogyo Elementary, Soe Elementary, Shinseok Elementary, Ahyeon Elementary, Yeomni Elementary, Yonggam Elementary, and Changcheon Elementary held emergency school operation committees that day and decided to close next week, followed by the year-end vacation, and start the new semester on March 2. After-school programs with 2 to 3 weeks remaining will also end as scheduled.

Parent Lee from Yeomni-dong said, "On Friday afternoon, the school informed us that the closing ceremony scheduled for the 12th would be moved up to the 11th, but by evening, they notified us that the school would close from the 10th." She asked, "Are we going to end the school year like this without properly saying goodbye to classmates and teachers?"

Some schools ended up with 2 to 3 days fewer classes than the legally mandated 190 days. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official explained, "According to relevant laws, each principal adjusts the academic schedule considering the legal number of school days, but in unavoidable or urgent situations like this, the number of school days can be reduced by up to one-tenth without any academic issues."

Changcheon Elementary will close for three days from the 10th to the 12th next week and then enter the scheduled year-end vacation. The closing and graduation ceremonies, originally planned for the 12th, were held in a simplified manner on the 7th after the nearby confirmed patient's movement path was revealed.

Gongdeok Elementary will close for five days from the 10th to the 14th and then enter the scheduled year-end vacation. Students will come to school for one day on the 24th without a separate closing ceremony to clean their lockers and receive report cards and new class assignments. The graduation ceremony for sixth graders scheduled for the same afternoon may be canceled depending on the situation.

Mapo Elementary will close for three days from the 10th to the 12th and then enter the year-end vacation. Only students will participate in the graduation ceremony scheduled for the 27th.

Yeomni Elementary decided not to hold either the closing or graduation ceremonies. Diplomas will be delivered to homes. Returning students will attend their existing classrooms on the morning of March 2 to check their new class assignments and then move accordingly.

Parents actively support the school's measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus but cannot hide their anxiety. Hyun, a parent from Daeheung-dong with elementary school children, said, "There are rumors that the confirmed patient passed through nearby Sinchon and Hongdae, areas with many university international students, so it's cautious even to visit local clinics, let alone dine out. The school is closed, but academies are operating normally, so I worry whether the infection prevention measures will be effective."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases and those under quarantine increases, more schools in Seoul are expected to take discretionary closures or advance year-end vacations to prevent infections among students and parents. The education office is actively issuing closure orders to schools deemed at risk based on a 1 km radius from confirmed patients' movement paths.

As of the 7th, 98 schools in Seoul are closed, and the education office has separately ordered 32 schools in four districts?Songpa, Gangnam, Yeongdeungpo, and Yangcheon?to close from the 10th to the 19th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.