Advice for UK Education Institutions on Covid-19 impact in East Asia 

 Summary 

At the British Council, the health and safety of all our visitors, staff and the communities in which we operate is our top priority. We support and cooperate with all local government agencies to put all necessary measures in place to ensure the continued well-being of all with whom we engage in the course of our operations.    

This post is to keep UK institutions updated on disruptions across the East Asia region caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.  

For travel advice, please refer to FCO updates, and we would encourage institutions who are considering travelling to sign up for alerts - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We also strongly encourage visiting local government health websites to stay abreast of the prevailing health advisory and precautionary measures in any country.  

For IELTS test arrangements as a result of Novel Coronavirus precautions, please see: https://www.ielts.org/news/2020/changes-to-ielts-test-arrangements-in-some-locations-due-to-novel-coronavirus.  

We are monitoring the situation very closely and will continue to provide updates as the situation develops. Please find current information by country/territory as per below:  

Key Updates 

China – provinces beginning to release dates for the staggered reopening of schools – details below. 

Hong Kong - on 21 March, the Government announced that all schools will continue to suspend classes until further notice. The Education Bureau announced that the HKDSE written examinations will be deferred from 27 March to 24 April and is expected to be finished on 25 May. The speaking examinations of both Chinese and English language subjects will be cancelled. The results release date is still expected to be within July. 

Japan - Some universities have cancelled entrance ceremonies scheduled for early April and postponed the start of the new academic year until late April 

South Korea - The national examinations scheduled in March and April such as the legislative examination and school qualification examination have been postponed to April and May. 

Vietnam - The Ministry of Education and Training has rescheduled the closing date of the 2019 – 2020 academic year to July 15, while the national high school graduation exam was postponed to August 8 – 11. 

 

China 

Updated 23 March     

Changes to Chinese Education institution semesters, class times and examinations  

Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, China's Ministry of Education and the country's schools and universities have continued to make announcements regarding their response to the epidemic. The start of the new semester has been put back, examinations and interviews have been postponed, and the majority of institutions have expanded their online education provision.  

In the last week of February, the MoE stressed that “in principle, before the epidemic is effectively controlled, college students will not return to school, and universities will not open. Once all HEIs open the campuses, strict management measures must be taken”. 

In-person classes are still suspended at most of China’s schools and universities, but many provinces and autonomous regions are now preparing to reopen. Four provincial-level regions have now reopened a portion of their schools and a total of 14 have set return dates for at least some students. 

All provinces are adopting a staggered approach, mostly starting with students in the 3rd (final) year of high school as well as those in their 3rd year of junior high school, who are preparing for their Gaokao and Zhongkao exams respectively. In many cases the remaining secondary students will return one week after final-year students, with some provinces also reopening primary schools at the same time. 

The table below shows all currently announced school reopening dates as of the March 23. 

March 23 or earlier	All primary & secondary students in Xinjiang  All secondary students in Qinghai  Final-year high school and junior high school students in Guizhou and Yunnan
March 25	Final-year high school and junior high schools' students in Ningxia  Final-year high school students in Shanxi
March 25-31	Primary and special education students in Qinghai
March 30	Final-year high school and junior high school students in Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu and Zhejiang  Final-year academic high school students in Shaanxi
"End of March"	Students at all levels in Tibet
April 1-15	Undergraduate students in Qinghai
April 7	Final-year high school and junior high school students in Hainan and Jiangxi  Final-year vocational high school and junior high school students in Shaanxi  Remaining secondary students, primary students and kindergarten students in Jiangsu  Remaining students at all levels in Zhejiang
April 13	University students in Jiangsu

 

Levels of education not listed in the above table – including primary schools and universities in most provinces, as well as non-final-year secondary students in several areas – do not yet have set times for reopening. Similarly, provincial-level regions not included in the table, such as Beijing, have not yet announced any dates. 

As well as the suspension of teaching, some examinations and recruitment activities have also been postponed. The Ministry of Education has ordered universities to postpone all scheduled interviews and internal examinations for postgraduate student recruitment, which are usually held soon after the results of the unified postgraduate entrance examination are released in mid-February (most of the results have been released by 22 Feb). The National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) also announced to postpone some national exams originally planned in March, including PETS (Public English Test System) originally scheduled on 21 – 22 March. However, the Gaokao university entrance exam is currently planned to go ahead as scheduled; recent articles saying that it would be delayed until June 26th were refuted by the Ministry of Education as fake news.     

Meanwhile, guidelines for Chinese students studying overseas on publicly funded scholarships have also been announced. Now students who would have started to study overseas before 31 March, are permitted, but not required, to suspend the start of their study until that date. Students who are already overseas but whose course will finish before 31 March may postpone their return until that date and continue to receive support for living expenses. Students who have already started their course but temporarily returned to China, for example due to the Chinese New Year holiday, and are unable to get back to their place of study will also continue to receive support for the period until 31 March. Most new application deadlines were postponed one month behind the original dates.   

The above guidelines only apply to publicly funded overseas study and not to the approximately 90 per cent of Chinese students abroad who are self-funded. The Ministry's advice to self-funded students is that postponing non-urgent travel is recommended, and that students should familiarise themselves with their destination country's rules on entry and quarantine; however, these are suggestions and not requirements.   

Comment from British Council International Education Services   

UK institutions working with Chinese partners or recruiting Chinese students should be aware of current study arrangements in the country. The situation is still evolving, and it is quite possible that semester start dates will be changed again soon. For TNE providers, close discussions with partners are encouraged to identify short term solutions including online delivery.  

Wider news:   

Earlier in March China announced the postponement of the annual “Two Sessions” of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which were originally scheduled for early March. No new dates were announced. Whilst not directly effecting education this news highlights that China is continuing to take serious efforts to contain the virus.  

Sources   

1. Ministry of Education: Guiding opinions on dealing with the new coronavirus epidemic through the organization and management of online teaching in colleges and universities (in Chinese) - http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2020-02/05/content_5474733.htm   

Updated on 25 Feb: https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2020-02/25/content_5482825.htm  

2. Ministry of Education: Ministry of Education to guide institutions on adjusting arrangements for postgraduate enrolment (in Chinese) - http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2020-02/03/content_5474334.htm         

3. China Scholarship Council: Notice on supporting the prevention and control measures of New Coronavirus (in Chinese)   

- https://www.csc.edu.cn/news/gonggao/1801  

Updated on 20 Feb: Notice on adjusting arrangement of several public-fund overseas programmes   

- https://www.csc.edu.cn/chuguo/s/1807  

4. China Daily: Students, scholars urged to postpone travel abroad due to virus - https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202001/29/WS5e30e7c5a310128217273894.html   

5. Tencent News: Summary of each province's arrangements for the 2020 spring semester (in Chinese) - http://view.inews.qq.com/k/20200212A06GMI00    

6. The National Education Examinations Authority: Notice on postponement of 3 examinations scheduled in March (in Chinese)  

- https://www.neea.edu.cn/html1/report/20021/5982-1.htm   

7. Xinhua News Agency: The Postponement of the Two Sessions  

- https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/24/c_138814427.htm  

8. Sina – Guizhou and Qinghai provinces announce plan to stagger the reopening of schools   

- https://news.sina.cn/2020-03-02/detail-iimxxstf5662766.d.html?vt=4 

9. Beijing Daily: Tsinghua university allows online thesis defence, adds August graduation session (in Chinese) - http://bjrb.bjd.com.cn/html/2020-03/02/content_12449209.htm 

10. China Focus: Classrooms reopen in Xinjiang with wishes, wariness as epidemic wanes http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-03/16/c_138883665.htm 

11. Beijing says no plan for reopening of schools http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-03/17/c_138888139.htm 

 

British Council offices and activities  

British Council offices in China have reopened.  

All British Council China on the ground education activity in March has been postponed, moved online or cancelled. Individual institutions affected have been contacted directly. 

Update on IELTS testing  

Following directives of the Ministry of Education in combatting the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) and the British Council have been instructed to cancel all IELTS tests scheduled for April across Mainland China. 

All test takers who have registered for an IELTS test in April in Mainland China will receive a full refund which will be credited to their personal registration account. Test takers who have already chosen to cancel their test in April need to raise a refund request through the IELTS registration website. 

Many test takers in these locations will be delayed in sitting a test and subsequently sending their IELTS scores to institutions. We hope that schools, colleges, universities and other institutions understand that this delay will be through no fault of the candidate and hope that they will be able to extend the application process for these applicants. 

Full details and contact information for IELTS enquiries can be found here. 

Market support  

We are currently exploring alternative marketing and student recruitment solutions for UK institutions where on-the-ground activities in China have been affected by the outbreak.  

If you are interested in alternative solutions or you require any support for your activities in China at this time, please contact IES.China@britishcouncil.org.cn.  

 

Hong Kong  

Updated 23 March  

Schools 

Local Schools 

• Class suspensions continue until further notice 
  In view of rapid escalation of COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong recently, on 21 March, the Government announced that all schools will continue to suspend classes until further notice. It is also reported that the new class resumption date will be published at least 3 weeks before the new date according to the Education Bureau (EDB). 

• Local schools have switched to online learning and tend to make up lost time over the summer 

• Many schools in Hong Kong have already switched to online learning and lessons by conference call, with assignments given out on a daily or weekly basis. Given the fact that the exact date of class resumptions remains uncertain, the Secretary for Education said EDB would consider rescheduling this semester’s school calendar to help students make up the teaching contact hours that they missed since early February. In a schoolteachers’ opinion poll, 40 per cent of them said their schools tend to shorten the summer break to make up for lost time. 

• Special arrangements for HKDSE and JUPAS 
  In terms of this year’s HKDSE exam, EDB announced that the written examinations will be deferred from 27 March to 24 April and is expected to be finished on 25 May. The speaking examinations of both Chinese and English language subjects will be cancelled. As for the 2020 HKDSE Results, the release date will continue to be within July (15 July). The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) will publish the details of special arrangements shortly.  
   
  In response to this delay, on 11 March, JUPAS (the local universities admission system) has also decided to defer the release date of main round offer results to10 August. This usually kicks off a second round of applications to UK universities, with students who have missed out on a local place looking for overseas options instead.  

International Schools 

• Some international schools have partially reopened for senior secondary students for exam preparation 
  In early March, SCMP reported that some secondary students of international schools have begun returning to their schools for exam preparation. Currently, international schools who have partially reopened for their students are the English School Foundation (operating 7 secondary schools across the city), Canadian International School of Hong Kong, and Kellett School (secondary school division).  

• Update about International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE exams in Hong Kong 
  On 20 March, SCMP reported that the IB organisation has decided to cancel the exams for both the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme this year. As for IGCSE exam in Hong Kong, there is no announcement about deferral/cancellation by the exam boards – Cambridge Assessment and Pearson yet. The exam would take place in May and June as planned, said by SCMP. 

Sources:   
SED's opening remarks at press conference, EDB, 25.02.2020  https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202002/25/P2020022500760.htm?fontSize=1   

Coronavirus: Hong Kong school closures extended to April 20 at the earliest    
https://https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3052199/coronavirus-hong-kong-school-closures-extend-beyond-easter  

Coronavirus: more students return to Hong Kong international school despite citywide classroom ban that means pupils at local schools must stay at home, SCMP, 10.03.2020  

Announcement of 2020 JUPAS Main Round Offer Results, JUPAS, 11.03.2020 

Government announces enhanced measures for disease control, HKSAR Gov, 21.03.2020 

Coronavirus: International Baccalaureate cancels May exams, affecting more than 200,000 students worldwide, SCMP, 23.03.2020 

Local Universities  

University of Hong Kong -  Until the end of the teaching period on May 16, all teaching and learning will be delivered online 

Hong Kong University of Sciences and Technology - The University will resume normal administrative operations in a progressive manner from March 9, 2020, while some facilities will remain closed and teaching continues in live interactive on-line mode. 

Chinese University of Hong Kong – The Chinese University of Hong Kong continues online teaching, while services and operation of all University Departments/Units will gradually resume to normal from 2 March 2020.    

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - Online learning and teaching will continue before the resumption of face-to-face teaching (23 March – 16 May 2020)   

• City University of Hong Kong – all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice  

• Hong Kong Baptist University- all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice.   

• The Open University of Hong Kong - all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice   

• Hang Seng University of Hong Kong - further suspend all face-to-face teaching activities in this semester until further notice. Online teaching will be arranged during this suspension period    

• Vocational Training Council - all face-to-face classes are suspended until 29 March   
    
  Note:   
  (1) Local universities have advised their staff members to work from home to ensure their business operation remains as usual.  
  (2) The rest of universities did not make a public announcement regarding arrangements on deferral of class resumptions on the websites. Institutions who wish to contact those who did not list here. Please contact the Hong Kong team for further information.   

 British Council Operations   

The British Council office in Hong Kong reopened on Monday 02 March, however is closed to the public. For the most up-to-date information on our services, please visit our website: www.britishcouncil.hk/en/novel-coronavirus-update.   

We are of course happy to hold meetings with the UK Education sector by means of Skype calls. 

Partial cross-border closure between Hong Kong and Mainland China  

The Government inserted a series of border restrictions effective from 03 February 2020. Please be aware of these restrictions if travelling from Mainland China and also that a manditory 14 day quarantine has been imposed. For travel advice please refer to the FCO, as per the top of this post.  

Department of Health to further strengthen health quarantine arrangements on inbound travellers from overseas 

Hong Kong government announced on the 17th of March that the red travel alert is extended to cover all overseas nations. Travellers arriving in Hong Kong from any foreign country from 19 March will be put under 14-day home quarantine or medical surveillance. The new restrictions would not apply to arrivals from Macau or Taiwan. 

Sources:   

• Hong Kong announces new border closures, as China's coronavirus death toll overtakes SARS, CNN  

• Press release: Government enhances disease prevention and control measures with reference to WHO's advice, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)  

• Centre for Health Protection (CHP), HKSAR  

Press release: Government to impose mandatory quarantine on people entering Hong Kong from Mainland China 
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202002/05/P2020020500793.htm  

Ress release: DH to further strengthen health quarantine arrangements on inbound travellers from overseas https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202003/15/P2020031500630.htm?fontSize=1 

Macau 

The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau in Macau have announced that classes in local schools will resume no later than April 20, senior high school pupils preparing for their university entrance examinations would be allowed to go back to school from March 30. 

Macau prohibits non-residents from entering Macau with the exception of Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan 

The Macau government prohibited the entrance in the territory, from 00:00 March 18, to all non-residents according to an Executive Order from the Chief Executive published on 17 March. The ban will not cover Macao residents and those people registered with the city’s authorities as non-resident workers. Residents of mainland China, of Hong Kong and of Taiwan will be exempted from the new measure. 

Sources: 

https://news.gov.mo/detail/en/N20CQbWKUo?1 

https://macauhub.com.mo/2020/03/17/pt-macau-impoe-quarentena-para-visitantes-de-zonas-com-epidemia-com-excepcao-da-china-continental-hong-kong-e-taiwan/ 

 

Contact: Anna Lee anna.lee@britishcouncil.org.hk or Karen Hsu  karen.hsu@britishcouncil.org.hk  

  

Indonesia  

Updated 23 March   

Confirmed cases in Indonesia 

Indonesian authorities confirmed that there are 514 cases of COVID-19 in the country.  The COVID-19 national emergency status has been extended till 29 May. There is increasing pressure on the government to impose a lock-down, however, President Jokowi has called for social distancing in the country to contain the spread of the virus. 

Indonesia has expanded an incoming travel ban to include the UK. 

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-extends-covid19-emergency-to-may-29-as-cases-rise-to-172 

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/17/pressures-on-for-jokowi-to-close-cities.html 

Schools and Universities 

The Ministry of Education and Culture circular advised institutions to “postpone activities that gather a lot of people or activities outside the education unit (camping, study tours) and “restrict guests from outside the education unit”. The Jakarta administration announced that it was closing schools and suspending exams for two weeks as children are also among the COVID-19 cases. By 15 March several regions in the country had closed schools and banned large gatherings and events. Online classes will be in place for two weeks. However, a few exams will still go on in certain regions. Several universities are now switching to online learning as well.  

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/15/regions-close-schools-cancel-public-events-because-of-covid-19.html 

Public events 

Jakarta administration has advised residents to restrict/cancel activities, avoid public gatherings including religious and cultural events. Tourist destinations, performances and entertainment places are closed for two weeks. Several organisations are checking temperature at entry, upgrading health procedures and cancelling events.  

British Council Activity  

British Council Study UK Fair and Career Day scheduled for 7 March 2020 was postponed.  

The English for Indonesia activity in Kampung Ingriss has been postponed till further notice. 

The Teaching Centre is closed, and off-site teaching suspended for two weeks. 

All British Council exams are suspended for two weeks. 

Staff have been advised to work from home. 

 Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my  

 

Japan 

Updated 23 March  

Latest news 

• On 18th March the Japanese government announced that anyone who arrives into the country from the EU and the UK will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days. 

• Japan has suspended its visa waiver system for anyone travelling on a British Citizen or British National (Overseas) passport until at least the end of April 2020. 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/entry-requirements#coronavirus 

• Hokkaido Prefecture has lifted its state of emergency, although residents will still be asked to stay indoors at the weekend. 

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan  

According to the World Health Organisation, as of 22nd March the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 1,046 with 50 new cases reported in the previous 24hours. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200322-sitrep-62-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=f7764c46_2  

Public Events 

Tokyo Metropolitan Government has requested organisers refrain from holding large-scale events from the end of March to April 12. 

Many large-scale cultural and sporting events across the country remain cancelled. 

Schools and Universities    

The majority of primary and secondary schools remain closed until the end of regular spring holidays in early April.   

Some universities have cancelled entrance ceremonies scheduled for early April and postponed the start of the new academic year until late April.  

British Council Activities 

In light of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, regrettably, the British Council has decided to cancel the Study UK Spring Fair Japan 2020 scheduled for 30 March 2020 in Tokyo.   

We are keen to support your continued engagement with Japan and are exploring alternative ways to profile institutions and to help you connect with prospective students and their families. Details will be shared via this website in the coming weeks.  

Contact  

Hal Parker, Education Services Manager, British Council Japan - hal.parker@britishcouncil.or.jp  

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/newpage_00002.html 

 

Malaysia 

Updated 23 March  

Government Response 

Malaysia’s COVID-19 cases have now soared to 1306.  The government has announced a ‘restricted movement’ order to be in effect from 18 till 31 March 2020. All places of business and worship will be closed. All government and private offices except those providing essential services will be closed.  

1. Full ban on movement, mass gatherings including sports, culture, religious and social activities. No events (education fairs organized by education agencies, included) will happen within the next two weeks.  

2. Closure of kindergartens, government and public schools, boarding schools, international schools, tahfiz centres and all primary and secondary and pre-university educational institutions. If you have any planned visits to the local schools or institutions, they will most likely be cancelled. Please check with your stakeholders.  

3. Full ban on overseas travels for Malaysians. Those returning from overseas MUST undergo health and screening and self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. 

4. Full ban on tourists and foreign visitors entering Malaysia. 

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/575180/14-day-movement-control-order-begins-nationwide-wednesday 

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/23/covid-19-current-situation-in-malaysia-updated-daily 

Public Events  

The restricted movement order enforces cancellation of large-scale events. This includes all sports, religious, cultural and social activities. Malaysia had already banned public events from 13 March onwards as one of the steps taken to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

Source: https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysia-bans-public-events-curb-covid19-spread 

Schools and Universities  

With the restricted movement order, all educational institutions: schools, universities, vocational training institutions and campuses will be closed from 18 till 31 March 2020.  

The directive first included e-learning. This has now changed, and institutions equipped to deliver     e-learning for all their institutions can do so at all public and private higher education institutions.   We will keep you informed on the changes and updates. 

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/20/e-learning-to-continue-for-higher-education-institutions 

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/18/education-ministry-suspends-all-tertiary-teaching-e-learning?fbclid=IwAR2RmpcKDLQrIxMpcIif_JVLNYuZd9JzATqk8Y1oONs-Rx4HOd4QMJ4rl1M 

British Council Activities  

The Study UK Fair and Career Day was postponed in early March, along with several other Education focussed activities arranged by British Council. 

British Council staff will be working from home from 18 till 31 March 2020 in accordance with the restricted movement order. We regret that we are therefore unable to receive visitors for meetings during this period, however we are of course available for meetings via Skype. 

Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my   

  

Singapore 

Updated 23 March 

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Singapore are now at 445.   As of today, the government has banned all visitors from any country from entering Singapore, this applies to short term and transit visitors as well.  

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-residents-advised-to-defer-all-non-essential-travel-for-next-30-days-as-part-of 

Educational institutions 

The Ministry of Education is regularly updating advisory for all international students from Singapore at campuses around the world. This can be viewed at https://www.moe.gov.sg/addressing-top-covid-19-concerns 

Educational institutions remain open; however, several have introduced strict measures that include cancellation of unnecessary activities. Most educational institutions follow the advice from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and have undertaken measures that include: 

• All external & inter-school activities are postponed till end of March, including the National School Games 

• No assemblies, camps or mass celebrations 

• Staggered recess times 

• Schools do not allow more than 20 persons to congregate at a time so as to follow the Ministry of Education’s restriction of maximum 30 persons in a gathering  

• Some schools do not allow more than 6 persons to gather – even while lining up for school lifts 

• Exams are held in smaller groups and not in halls 

• No unnecessary visitors to campuses 

• And more such procedures 

Public events 

On 13 March, Singapore placed a ban on any gathering of more than 250 people. All cultural, sports and entertainment events of more than 250 people are to be deferred or cancelled. 

Source: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ticketed-events-gatherings-250-participants-or-more-be-cancelled-or-postponed-due-covid-19 

The Ministry of Health in Singapore provides a regularly updated status report on the daily situation for all at  https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19 

Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my  

 

South Korea 

Updated on 23 March  

South Korea has 8,961 cases (2.8%) out of 324,408 examinations, 3,166 released cases from quarantine, and 111 death as of 1 p.m., 23 March. The country's alert level for COVID-19 has been raised to Red, its highest on 23 February. 

Schools and Universities 

As a preventive measure against the spread of the virus, all schools across the nation are ordered to postpone the spring semester openings to 6 April. The government has also urged hagwon, the private education providers to close. 

The Ministry of Education reported that 255 out of 384 local universities (66.4%) postponed the start of their spring semester up to four weeks as of 14 February. After that, the government has advised them to offer the students learning online, with many universities doing this. 

The national examinations scheduled in March and April such as the legislative examination and school qualification examination have been postponed to April and May. 

Kyung Hee University, Hanyang University, and Myongji University had a student with a confirmed case for COVID-19 on 10 March. They immediately shut down and fumigated some of the facilities that the student had visited. 

Public Events 

The public, religious groups, and civic organizations are also advised to refrain from engaging in collective events for public safety. 

The Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) delivered the guidelines for mandatory remote working on shifts to 55 central administration organizations on 12 March.  

Some local conglomerates have either postponed the first half open recruitment (Samsung, Hyundai) or adopt the video interview system (LG, SK, CJ, Kakao, Naver). 

Sources: 

Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/index_main.jsp 

S. Korea to postpone new school year as coronavirus spikes 

Korean Herald (23 February) http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200223000311&ACE_SEARCH=1  

College students unhappy with online lectures 

Korean Herald (3 March) https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/03/181_285496.html 

정부 ‘공무원 교대 재택근무’ 의무화 

KBS (12 March) http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=4400387&ref=A 

Contact: Heather Eom  sunhyun.eom@britishcouncil.org.kr 

  

Taiwan

Updated 18 March  

There are currently 77 cases confirmed of the Coronavirus in Taiwan, 27 local cases and 50 imported cases. For information on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Taiwan, please visit the Taiwan Centres for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov.tw/En  

Schools and Universities  

The government has set protocols including wearing of facemasks and having temperature taken for entering schools, buildings, campuses and rooms, and those who have fevers are not allowed to enter. 

The Central Epidemic Command Center announced on 16 March that students and teachers at senior and junior high schools as well as elementary schools around Taiwan will all be prohibited from overseas travel until the end of the current semester, which is scheduled to end on July 14. 

The MoE is working on a digital learning platform for under the senior high school sector. 

The school-term is running as normal, and all national exams and assemblies are continuing to happen. 

For universities, please contact the individual institution to confirm visits and events. Most universities cancelled presentation-type events. Visitors from overseas need to provide details of travel history, and no transit is allowed from China and Hong Kong. 

For public events some are cancelled while some are continuing as normal, so we recommend checking with individual organisers. Examples are as follows:  

Event name	Org	Original timeline	Situation
IECA 2020 International Education Fair (https://www.iecatpe.org.tw/)	International Education Consultants Association	28 – 29 March	Proceeding

Taiwan bans entry for foreign travellers, mandatory 14-day quarantine for returning foreign residents goes into effect March 19 

Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday (March 18) announced that all foreign visitors will be barred from entering the country effective Thursday (March 19), with the exception of persons holding an Alien Resident Certificate, diplomatic officials, and business people with special entry permits. 

Sources: 

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3899387 

https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En 

Contact: Diane Hsu, diane.hsu@britishcouncil.org.tw  

  

Thailand 

Updated 23 March  

Places considered high-risks areas because they attract large crowds of people including shopping malls in Greater Bangkok are to be closed from Sunday 22nd March – 12th April 2020. This excludes supermarket zones, drugstores or zones selling necessary items and food shops (takeout is permitted). 

Sources:  

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1883570/bangkok-malls-to-close-from-sunday 

https://www.prachachat.net/marketing/news-435332  

Schools, universities and public events     

• Ministry of Education issued a formal letter on 17th March 2020 asking all public and private schools (formal and non-formal educational institutions) to be closed from 18th March 2020 until further notice. On-line teaching is encouraged to replace face to face tutorials.  

• Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation issued a formal letter on 17th March 2020 asking universities and higher education institutions to stop all face to face classes and start to implement virtual classes. Details of the announcement can be obtained from https://www.ops.go.th/main/index.php/news-service/announcement/1983-covid-19   

British Council’s operation     

Following government and Office of Private Education Commission (OPEC) directives which were announced on 17 March 2020, British Council in Thailand will suspend English classes for 14 days from 18 – 31 March 2020 in their 6 centres (5 in Bangkok and 1 in Chiang Mai.) The paper-based IELTS Examination on 21st March 2020 in Bangkok will be postponed.   

The International Education Services Team is still in operation and will be able to help give advice and respond to queries from UK institutions, agents, and stakeholders.   

Contact: Uraiwan Samolee, uraiwan.samolee@britishcouncil.or.th 

 

 Vietnam  

Updated: 23 March 2020 

By 4 p.m on 23 March 2019, Vietnam has reported 121 COVID-19 infection cases. 

Government Response 

The Vietnamese Government has decided to temporarily suspend entry of all foreigners since March 22 due to a swift and complicated development of the pandemic. 

Temporary suspension of entry shall also be applied to all overseas Vietnamese and their spouses and children who have been granted with certificate of visa exemption.  

In a bid to avoid overload pressure on quarantine facilities, the Government asked for prompt and maximum cuts of incoming passenger flights, including those of foreign airlines. All incoming travellers to Viet Nam shall be subject to mandatory centralized quarantine for 14 days, applicable since March 21. 

Education 

The Ministry of Education and Training has recommended Vietnamese students who are studying abroad to consider carefully before returning home. For those who really need to return, they must make honest health declarations and abide by quarantine regulations as regulated by the Ministry of Health and other authorised agencies in Vietnam. 

Meanwhile, thousands of students in Hanoi have left their dormitories to provide quarantine areas for people returning home from areas hit by coronavirus. 

News Sources:  

http://news.chinhphu.vn/Home/VN-halts-entry-to-all-foreigners-due-to-COVID19/20203/39326.vgp 

https://vietnamnews.vn/society/653919/pm-orders-measures-to-prevent-covid-19-spreading.html 

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/expat-students-should-carefully-consider-before-returning-home-ministry-625798.html 

Contact: Lien Ta, lien.ta@britishcouncil.org.vn