"Is School Really Reopening?" Parents Feel 'Anxious' Amid COVID Spread

Parents Anxious Ahead of School Opening
Education Authorities "Establishing Guidelines... Negotiating Mask Supply"
Teachers "Concerned About Feasibility of Prevention Control"
Experts "Limitations to Infection Prevention by Postponing School Opening"

Amid the spreading fear of the novel coronavirus infection, on January 28th, students wearing masks are leaving an elementary school in Seoul after school. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han, Intern Reporter Joohee Kang] "Is school really opening on the 23rd? I'm still worried about sending my child."

The nationwide opening of kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools, postponed until the 23rd of this month due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is now just ten days away. However, parents still express concerns about infection risks and anxiety.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 9 p.m. on the 11th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 7,755, with 288 new cases added compared to the previous day. In particular, the emergence of about 90 confirmed cases at a call center in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 11th has heightened concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

Given this situation, parents awaiting their children's school opening are voicing their anxieties. They worry that if a confirmed case occurs within the school, there is a high risk of group infection exposure, which could lead to school closures and greater damage.

A working parent, Mr. A, who has a teenage child, posted on a local mom caf? recently, saying, "I don't think the situation will calm down even after school starts," and expressed concern, "If a cluster infection occurs at any school after the opening on the 23rd, it would be very critical."

He added, "Children will be together all day in enclosed classrooms and have to eat school meals, but I don't know how all of this can be managed," and "I also wonder if masks are being properly supplied."

Besides this, citizens have expressed mixed concerns through various online communities, such as "I'm a working mom but don't want to send my kids to school," "Even if school opens, I don't plan to send them," "I can't not send them, but sending them feels uneasy," and "Even with guidelines, is it easy for kids to follow them?"

On the morning of the 3rd of last month, at Yangjeong Elementary School in Busanjin-gu, Busan, which reopened for the new semester, a teacher is measuring the children's temperatures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Teachers, who are responsible for students' safety, also voiced concerns about the school opening.

Mr. A (28), an elementary school teacher in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Schools are spaces where more than 1,000 students and staff live together, and I don't know if infection prevention among so many people can be controlled," expressing concern that "Even if there are no symptoms immediately, if students or teachers in the incubation period attend school, classes will be suspended, and the continuity of lessons will be disrupted."

Mr. B (33), an elementary school teacher in Incheon, also said, "Although there are difficulties in academic operations and childcare due to the postponement of school opening, considering everyone's health, postponing the opening should be considered."

Amid growing anxiety among parents and teachers, the education authorities appear to plan to proceed with the school opening on the 23rd as scheduled. Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, stated at the Budget and Accounts Special Committee held at the National Assembly on the 11th, "We are preparing by establishing guidelines such as quarantine supplies, school meals, and whether masks should be worn during class time."

Minister Yoo added, "We are negotiating to ensure that masks to be stocked at schools after opening can be provided first from public supplies."

Experts foresee that postponing the school opening may have limited practical benefits in preventing infectious diseases.

Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, "From a medical staff perspective, it would be better to postpone school opening until the infectious disease outbreak is clearly subdued, but this method may not bring substantial effects in preventing the disease."

He explained, "Even if students don't go to school, they are already participating in private academies and other personal gatherings. Academies are even smaller spaces than schools. The problem won't be resolved just by not attending school."

Professor Eom added, "If the school opening cannot be postponed due to practical issues such as academic schedules, basic preventive measures such as hand washing, cough etiquette, wearing masks, and not attending school if symptoms are suspected must be strictly followed."

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