05/08/2020
East Asia - Covid-19 update – 5 August 2020
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
South Korea: Foreigners to be charged for COVID-19 treatment. 2-week summer vacation to secure school days has just begun.
Thailand: The Thai government has extended the emergency decree for another month, ending 31 August 2020.
Vietnam: Vietnam now entered the second wave of Covid-19 infection after 3 months of having no positive cases. The national high school examination will take place in two phases due to lockdown and social distancing arrangements.
China
Updated 4 August
No major updates.
Hong Kong
Updated 3 August
Public Events and Social Distancing
Hong Kong has tightened the social distancing curbs again after resurgence of new infection cases since 09 July. The limit on the size of social gathering has scaled back from 4 to 2 people. Local bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and amusement parks e.g. Hong Kong Disneyland will also be closed until further notice. Meanwhile, four major public events such as the book fair, Hong Kong Computer & Communications Festival will also be postponed. There is no limit on how many people can congregate in private settings or at a place of work, however this means that face to face student recruitment activities are currently not feasible.
Compulsory 14-day quarantine measure
The 14-day quarantine measure will be extended to 07 July for travellers from mainland China, Macau and Taiwan, and to 18 September for arrivals from overseas. Non-residents flying from other foreign countries are still not permitted to enter the city indefinitely.
Schools
Due to the surge in the number of local cases, the Education Bureau has requested local schools to close from next Monday 13 July. Previously, classes in Hong Kong were first suspended for four months from early February, with a phased resumption beginning at the end of May. International schools had finished this term and closed for Summer break since last week.
IB Results 2020
Despite class suspensions and cancellation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) written exams due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong students achieved a 97.9 per cent pass rate with an average IB score of 36.31. The average score outperformed other candidates around the world by 6.41 points according to the IB office. Among 2,324 HK candidates from 33 schools, 641 of them attained 40 – 45 points, including 23 top scorers from schools such as the English Schools Foundation (ESF), the largest international school group in HK, Diocesan Boys’ School, Victoria Shanghai Academy and the German Swiss International School. Although the total number of top scorers this year was 11 fewer than last year, Hong Kong continues to be one of the main sources of IB top scorers globally with around 16% of top scorers coming from Hong Kong both this year and in 2019.
HKDSE Exam 2020
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) exam results were released for 50,809 candidates, including 45,257day school candidates on 22 July. The total number of candidates decreased by 3.7% from last year. In 2020, a total of 18,572 day school candidates (i.e. prospective UG students to the UK) met the entry criteria (achieved Level 3 or above) for local universities, compared to last year’s 19,676 candidates. This represents 41% of candidates, which is about 1.2% fewer than last year’s figure.
There are only 15,000 publicly funded places are available via the JUPAS system (the Hong Kong university application system). Those that miss out will either look to study abroad or enter expensive self-funded programmes. 30,658 candidates of day schools (71.2% of candidates) achieved level 2 or above in five subjects, which is the minimum required to apply for civil service posts or enter sub-degree programmes.
In addition, it is also reported that this year’s numbers of candidates reached at a record low since the HKDSE exams were introduced in 2012, owing to the city’s shrinking secondary student population in recent years. Next, the DSE candidates are expecting to receive offers from their chosen universities (JUPAS results) on 13 August.
Sources:
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Number of Hong Kong students with perfect scores in International Baccalaureate drops by nearly a third after grading system change amid pandemic, SCMP, 07.07.2020
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2020 HKDSE Results, HKEAA, 21.07.2020
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Competition for Hong Kong university spots dips as 1,100 fewer entrance exam takers meet minimum requirements, South China Morning Post, 22.07.2020
Local Universities
Local publicly funded universities have suspended face-to-face teaching and switched to online for the Spring Term of the 2019/20. Many final exams have been set to be conducted online. Local student unions have urged universities to ensure assessments be fair and accessible to all students, in particular, those who are from vulnerable families (given the difficulties of online learning). Some options e.g. ‘late withdrawal’ and ‘pass-fail’ options have been commonly used amongst local universities. The latter means students would not receive letter grades and have the grades to be calculated towards their overall GPA. Currently, it has been offered by the University of Hong Kong, University of Science and Technology, and Education University.
According to local universities’ announcements regarding the arrangements for the Summer Term on their websites, with the situation of Covid-19 in HK being improved gradually, some local universities set to arrange face-to-face make-up classes for the summer. Meanwhile, due to social-distancing and travel restrictions imposed by the government, they plan to arrange online teaching at the same time for the new academic year to cater for latecomers from the mainland or abroad.
Source:
British Council Operations
In line with the HK government’s new social-distancing rules, The British Council will be closed to the general public. For the most up-to-date information on our services, please visit our website: www.britishcouncil.hk/en/covid-19
We are of course happy to hold meetings with the UK Education sector by means of online calls.
Travel restrictions in summary
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Non-Hong Kong residents will be denied entry into HK
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HK residents and valid HK visa holders must be self-isolated for 14 days after returning home
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Transit flight services at Hong Kong International Airport resumed from 01 June
Sources:
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Hong Kong third wave: city expected to snap 12-day streak of 100-plus new infections, but death toll continues to climb, SCMP, 03.08.2020
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Centre for Health Protection (CHP), HKSAR
Macau
Updated 4 August
No major updates.
Contact: Anna Lee anna.lee@britishcouncil.org.hk or Karen Hsu karen.hsu@britishcouncil.org.hk
Indonesia
Updated 4 August
Strict social restrictions and distancing remain in place to counter the spread of Covid-19. Jakarta has extended its transitional period from large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for another two weeks after failing to slow down the daily increase in COVID-19 cases. Jakarta has experienced and recorded an alarming rate of new COVID-19 clusters over the past two weeks.
Schools and Universities
The government plans to roll out a new education scheme that will simplify the curriculum and address existing hindrances to remote learning, which has been in place because of the COVID-19 crisis. The Education and Culture Minister has said that the streamlined scheme could entail the reallocation of school operational aid (BOS) to internet packages for students and teachers.
The ministry has only allowed the phased reopening of schools located in so-called "green zones" or areas regarded by the government as having a low risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Sources:
State and private universities plan to open in August and continue with classes either online or in person based on government directives closer to the dates of opening.
Travel requirements
The national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to open direct flights to Denpasar, Bali, from the United States, France and India as part of initiatives to boost the country’s tourism that has been battered by the pandemic.
State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II plans to increase the number of available flight slots and normalize its operational hours in July, as it seeks to spur the recovery of the aviation industry that has been severely impacted by the ongoing health crisis.
There has been a significant increase in the number of passengers for domestic and international flights, after the government relaxed restrictions on air travel. A recently issued Transportation Ministry circular allowed an increase in the number of passengers to 70 percent of the aircraft capacity, up from the previous 50 percent.
Public events
Large scale public gatherings are not allowed. All businesses being allowed a conditional re-opening are subject to strict social distancing measures as per government requirements.
British Council Activity
British Council staff continue to work from home.
Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my
Japan
Updated 3 August
Latest news
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Across the country, 1,331 more infections were reported as of August 2, bringing the cumulative total to 39,902, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama in February. The death toll stayed at 1,026.
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On 19 June, Japan completely lifted its request for people not to travel across prefectural lines, with the move met by a return of passengers to airports and train stations.
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As of 27 May, the Government of Japan will deny entry to Japan for any non-Japanese nationals who have been to the UK in the last 14 days, other than in exceptional circumstances. These measures also apply to people who live in Japan but are temporarily out of the country.
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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 June 2020.
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Many in the public are on high alert while authorities in large cities have been forced to reimpose restrictions on some businesses to address the resurgence of the virus.
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Tokyo had raised its alert for the pandemic in mid-July to the highest of the four levels, meaning “infections are spreading.”
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Gov. Yuriko Koike of Tokyo warned on 31st July that Tokyo may declare an emergency for the capital, although the central government fully lifted a state of emergency in late May.
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The number of new coronavirus infections reported in Tokyo on 10 July, hit another single-day high, with 243 cases confirmed amid growing signs of a resurgence of the virus, but the government has denied they would immediately put strict measures in place
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The Japanese Government lifted the state of emergency for Tokyo and four other prefectures on 25 May, the last remaining region in the country to be subject to restrictions.
Public Events
Many large-scale events, including study abroad fairs, across the country remain cancelled. Most of the events are done on-line instead.
Schools and Universities
The Ministry of Education (MEXT) announced on 21st July that all the students who were planning to go study abroad should align to the safety information of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and recommended to refrain from going out of the country. Most of the countries including UK, USA, Canada and even NZ are listed in Level 3, among the highest-ranking countries. Most of the Universities are cancelling their exchange programs for this year and the students who were to receive the government funded scholarships are kept waiting.
Schools in many regions across the nation reopened from the first week of June still with staggered attendance, following the government’s lifting of the state of emergency on 25 May.
British Council Activities
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.
A Predeparture Information webinar was held in July to inform the Japanese students about current UK university status. We received attendees from all over Japan and there is still the same level of interest to UK as before Covid 19. But taking into account the government announcement, some good number of students seem to be thinking of postponing their study to next year.
Contact
Tomoko Kawakita, Head of Education, British Council Japan - tomoko.kawakita@britishcouncil.or.jp
Malaysia
Updated 4 August
Government Response
The Malaysian government introduced the Recovery Movement Control Order from 10 June till 31 August. The RMCO allows additional relaxation of the movement control order. Inter-state travel is now allowed except for areas where there is still risk. The additional relaxation for economic and business sectors is currently being allowed only under strict conditions and enforcement of stringent health standard operating procedures.
Sources:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/06/598700/cmco-end%C2%A0replaced-rmco-until-aug-31
Public Events
The restricted movement order remains in place for large-scale events. Health authorities in Malaysia have advised against organising major public events. However, activities that do not draw large gatherings or close contact are now allowed under certain conditions.
Schools and Universities
The Ministry of Higher Education has announced that higher education institutions may re-open by October 2020. As per the Ministry’s announcement 30% of private higher education institutions can start returning to campuses July onwards. Students at public universities are now allowed to return to campuses as per a staggered plan for announced categories of students. International students coming to Malaysia now allowed to enter and join their institutions.
Malaysian students who are offer holders or must sit for exams at international institutions around the world are now allowed to leave the country with due documentation for immigration purposes.
Sources:
Schools opened with operating procedures such as maximum 20 students to a class, students seated at a distance from each other and other social distancing measures in place on campus. The Ministry of Education released the amended school academic calendar on 23 June for the current year. There is a reduction in the number of mid-semester holidays and the year-end holidays – the calendar has been amended to support teaching and learning for the current year.
Sources:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/06/602962/back-school
Travel Restrictions
The Malaysian government has announced that international students will now be allowed to enter Malaysia and resume their studies at Malaysian institutions. Malaysian offer holder students or those waiting to sit for exams at international universities can now do so provided they have the required documentation for immigration clearances.
Source:
Returning Malaysians and non-citizens permitted to enter the country will once more be made to undergo mandatory two-week quarantine at specified quarantine centres from Friday, July 24. The government has decided to revoke the allowance for those entering the country to self-quarantine at home.
Source: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/535396
British Council Activities
British Council staff are mostly working from home. The slight relaxation of the movement control order has allowed a few selected teams to be in the office with strict social distancing measures in place.
Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my
Singapore
Updated 3 August
Singapore is now in Phase two of the three-phased approach for the relaxation of the ‘circuit-breaker’ and related social distancing measures in the post Covid-19 environment.
Phase One: Phase 1 featured resumption of selected services and the staggered re-opening of schools.
Phase Two:
Singapore is now in Phase 2 which began on 19 June. From 29 June onwards, all students have begun attending daily face-to-face lessons. Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) had also gradually increased the number of students back on campus for face-to-face learning, and are now preparing for the commencement of the new academic year (Aug-Sep).
Most businesses have resumed, although working from home is strongly encouraged wherever possible. All safe management practices remain in place. Social gatherings are permitted in groups of five. This Phase is expected to continue for 2-3 months, before the final Phase 3.
Phase Three: Phase three will feature limited size gatherings, seniors being allowed to resume day-to day activities under measures of physical distancing among other practices of risk mitigation.
Source:
Educational institutions
The Institutes of Higher Learning have been observing the following approaches since June:
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Polytechnic Institutions: lectures continue to be delivered online; students are allowed on campus for only lab and practical work.
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Institutes of Technical Education: students rotate weekly between online and on-campus learning.
Sources:
https://www.moe.gov.sg/addressing-top-covid-19-concerns
Universities will re-open in August. The six autonomous Universities in Singapore have offered an additional 2000 places this year, some of which would go to Singaporean students whose overseas study plans have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and to polytechnic diploma holders who had intended to join the workforce, but are now opting to study because of the limited job market.
Universities are currently preparing for the new academic year, and online orientation programmes have begun.
The focus is largely on employability of new graduates who would soon be entering the workforce. The SG United Traineeship Programme aims to create up to 21,000 trainee opportunities for graduating cohorts of the ITE, polytechnics and universities.
Source: https://www.wsg.gov.sg/SGUnitedTraineeships-Trainees.html
The IHLs are also offering new courses and professional qualifications to boost graduates’ employability by enhancing their skills and versatility. The ITE has entered into a three-year partnership with LinkedIn to teach students how to brand and market themselves to potential employers.
Sources:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/help-for-ite-students-to-market-themselves
Public events
Non-essential public gatherings remain prohibited. There is some relaxation for activities like worship, weddings with a limit to number of people being five or ten for different activities as per government rules.
Source:
The Ministry of Health in Singapore provides a regularly updated status report on the daily Covid-19 situation at https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my
South Korea
Updated on 3 August
The number of domestic infection cases marks the lowest since early May.[1] Libraries, museums, and galleries have begun to reopen since the end of July amid signs of a slowdown in Covid-19 infections.[2]
The government has decided to charge foreign patients for the partial or entire cost of their treatment because the public concern about the number of confirmed cases from overseas has continued to rise.[3]
Schools
Since the physical reopening in early June, there has been only one confirmed case of a student contracting the virus at school. Elementary and middle schools have capped the number of students at one-third of the total student body to keep a safe distance, while high schools at two-thirds.[4] The Education Ministry will maintain the attendance cap for the upcoming semester while varying the proportion depending on each region's virus situation.[5]
The summer vacation season has begun in late July. As the school opening was delayed for about a month due to COVID-19, most schools are given about two weeks of short summer vacation to secure school days.[6]
Higher Education
Many universities are taking a blended approach of face-to-face and remote learning for the upcoming semester. They will focus on enhancing the quality of remote learning experiences and the fairness of the evaluation system.[7]
Simultaneously, more universities are positively responding to the demand for partial tuition refunds to compensate students for disrupted learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The class-action lawsuit filed by a student group against them and the Ministry of Education seems to accelerate the move.[8]
Sources:
[1] https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200803002352320?section=national/national
[3] http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/27/2020072702261.html
[4] http://yna.kr/AEN20200623007500315
[5] http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200727000726&np=1&mp=1
[6] https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1005910411&plink=ORI&cooper=NAVER (Korean)
[8]http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200722000588&np=1&mp=1
Contact: Heather Eom sunhyun.eom@britishcouncil.org
Taiwan
Updated 3 August
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Taiwan reported one new imported cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus on 2 Aug, leaving the total number of cases at 475 since the pandemic began at the end of December, according to the Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) (source).
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Taiwan health authorities reported one new COVID-19 case Sunday, while continuing to test those who may have come into contact with a Belgian national to learn more about how he ended up testing positive for the disease. The Belgian man in his 20s, who entered Taiwan in early May and went through the standard two-week quarantine, had two positive PCR tests for the disease this past week. The Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) would not classify the case as a domestically transmitted case, however, because it learned later Saturday that the Belgian man had sought treatment twice in Belgium in March for a loss of his sense of taste and smell, potential symptoms of the disease.
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To keep social distancing of 1.5M and to wear the masks when entering to restaurant and public transportations are requested by the CDC. 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
Most public large events like exhibition or show are currently open but various events and activities are requested to wearing the masks, and some will still maintain temperature measures and alcohol spraying when entering the venue.
Schools and Universities
The Central Epidemic Command Center announced since March that students and teachers at senior and junior high schools as well as elementary schools around Taiwan. Ministry of Education announced international students travel opens to the low risk countries.
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All sectors of institutions are now on Summer break from 15 July.
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From 22 July, the countries and regions where Taiwan has officially opened for entry of foreign students include: Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Palau, New Zealand, Brunei, Fiji, Australia, Mongolia, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. A total of 18 countries and regions with low risk of epidemics have been opened.
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Based on the Assessment by the Central Epidemic Command Centre. The Ministry of Education Prioritised the Return of Graduating Students from Low-risk Countries to the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Study in August
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For information on the MoE of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Taiwan, please visit the News Updates on Ministry of Education Taiwan website at https://english.moe.gov.tw/lp-117-1.html
Travel Restrictions in summary
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Taiwan to allow foreign nationals to apply for non-tourist entry
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All eligible passengers entering Taiwan must undergo 14 days of home quarantine
Sources:
https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202008020010
https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202008010015
https://www.edu.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=9E7AC85F1954DDA8&sms=169B8E91BB75571F&s=DF838B887FCE78CF
https://english.moe.gov.tw/lp-117-1.html
Contact: Diane Hsu, diane.hsu@britishcouncil.org.tw
Thailand
Updated 5 August
Thailand has extended an emergency decree imposed from 26 March to the end of August. Permission of international inbound flights is being reviewed by the government to welcome international tourists to Thailand. The plan will be done in 3 phases, starting from low-risk countries. This means the government is currently looking at border relaxation.
Starting 1 July, the phase 5 of the lockdown easing has been effective. Measures are relaxed nation-wide for several sectors, including education institutions, although they still have to follow the government’s disease-control measures.
Schools, universities and public events
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On 7 April 2020, with the approval from the cabinet, Ministry of Education announced schools in Thailand to defer the start of the first semester of academic year 2020 from 16 May to 1 July 2020. On 8 May, the Ministry announced that it plans for the first semester to be run on 1 July – 13 November 2020, and the second semester on 1 December 2020 – 9 April 2021. This will result in 17-day and 37-day school breaks, respectively.
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1 July is the first date schools and universities are reopened. The situation is being closely monitored by the government to prevent the second wave of the outbreak.
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Key information including the term dates of key universities are on the IES site https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/east-asia-covid-19-update-%E2%80%93-26-june-2020
British Council’s operation
Face to face English classes have been resumed since 1 July 2020. The current situation for IELTS is that paper-based and computer-delivered tests are running as scheduled. We have re-designed our test layouts to ensure that test takers and staff maintain a one metre separation at all times. For more information please visit https://www.britishcouncil.or.th/en/exam/covid-19-updates
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: 4 August
After nearly three months of having no new positive Covid-19 cases in the community and no death, Vietnam has now entered the second wave of Covid-19 community infection. Danang, a tourism hotspot in the central of Vietnam, has become the epicentre with 142 cases so far, followed by Quang Nam province with 44 cases, also in the Central. These two cities have expanded more lockdown areas and people are required to follow social distancing rules. Hanoi has reported two cases and Ho Chi MInh city has recorded eight. Bars and crowds are prohibited in these cities. Six Covid-19 patients have died since the second wave break. Nationwide, more than 133,000 people are in quarantine at the present.
The national high school examination will take place in two phases. The first phase will be on August 8th and 9th for students in localities not constrained by the social distancing order. Meanwhile, students who are quarantined or living in lockdown areas can sit for it later. Around 900,000 high school students are expected to take the national exam in the first phase. This exam not only awards a high-school graduation certificate, but also plays an important role in deciding admission to Vietnamese universities and colleges.
Sources:
Contact: Senior Education Services Manager, Lien Ta, lien.ta@britishcouncil.org.vn
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