China’s largest city, Shanghai, has ordered most of its schools to take classes online as Covid cases rise.
Nurseries and childcare centers will also be closed from Monday, according to the Shanghai Education Bureau.
Chinese authorities eased restrictions earlier this month following a wave of protests targeting China’s zero-covid strategy.
But the easing of strict lockdown measures is raising concerns over the spread of Covid in China.
Significant changes to the country’s Covid testing and reporting system have made it difficult to know how far the virus has spread, with data for the week ending Dec. 11 showing new infections across the country after a peak last week. A decrease in the total number is indicated. .
But before the change in data collection, the number of cases was higher than the last Covid wave in April.
Hospitals and medical facilities have come under increasing pressure, with makeshift health centers and intensive care facilities across the country.
Shanghai reported that an additional 230,000 hospital beds had been made available.
Some schools in the city have already suspended in-person classes because teachers and staff are sick.
In a statement posted on Chinese social media site WeChat on Saturday, Shanghai’s education bureau announced that most year groups in primary and secondary schools will switch to online learning from Monday.
Students and children who do not have alternative childcare arrangements can apply to attend the school.
The statement said that these measures are being taken to protect the health of teachers and students in accordance with the current measures to prevent the spread of the corona virus.
The decision means schools in the country’s financial hub will remain closed for in-person learning until the end of term on January 17, when the Lunar New Year holiday begins.
Some Chinese social media users applauded the decision, agreeing that it was better for students to stay home. Others complained about the usefulness of online learning over in-person instruction and the added pressure on working parents.
After abandoning its zero-covid strategy, there has been an explosion of self-reported cases across the country, with many cities eerily quiet as large numbers of people are isolated at home, either from covid. Are sick or trying to avoid infection.
There are concerns that China’s health infrastructure is ill-equipped to cope with the rapid increase in patients – especially as Covid spreads among the elderly, many of whom are not fully vaccinated.
