18/03/2020
East Asia - Covid-19 update - 18 March 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
Various countries – a number of countries and territories have banned entry or introduced manditory quarantine measures for visitors form the UK. Please refer to FCO travel advice before considering any travel to the region.
Hong Kong – the government has suggested that it is very unlikely that schools will reopen on the 20th of April as per the previous announcement.
Malaysia - A restricted movement order is now in place, meaning all educational institutions: schools, universities, vocational training institutions and campuses will be closed from 18 till 31 March 2020, and public gatherings are not permitted.
Thailand - Ministry of Education issued a formal letter on 17th March 2020 asking all public and private schools to be closed from 18th March 2020 until further notice. Likewise 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
China
Updated 18 March
Changes to Chinese Education institution semesters, class times and examinations
Over the last four weeks, China's Ministry of Education and the country's schools and universities have made a number of announcements regarding their response to the current Coronavirus epidemic. The start of the new semester has been put back, examinations and interviews have been postponed, and a number 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”.
At the secondary level and below, school dates are set at the provincial level. All provincial-level administrations (including directly governed municipalities and autonomous regions) have postponed the start of the new semester for all schools and universities, including private institutions.
According to the most recent information, in-person classes at schools and universities in almost all parts of China are still suspended. The sole exceptions to this are some provinces in West China, which was comparatively lightly affected by the outbreak, where schools are adopting a staggered approach to reopening. Some high schools in Qinghai province have been open since March 9th, and final year students in high schools and junior high schools in Guizhou and Xinjiang returned to school on Monday 16th. Final year high school students in Shanxi will return to school on March 25th, with final year HE students restarting at the beginning of April; other years and levels of study do not yet have set dates to return. Shaanxi Province is the latest to announce reopening; students in their final year of high school will return on 30 March, whilst students in their final year of junior high school will return from 7 April. Other years and levels of study do not yet have set dates to return
Schools in all other provinces are still suspended indefinitely. Two other provincial-level regions, Shandong and Guangxi, have announced that they will adopt staggered re-opening schedules similar to those in Guizhou but do not yet have any fixed dates. Beijing Municipal Education Commission confirmed again on Tuesday 17 March that it has no plans for reopening schools and kindergartens in Beijing at the moment.
Meanwhile, many HEIs have announced starting the new semester with all teaching being delivered online for the first few weeks of term. Similarly, many primary and secondary schools already started teaching through online platforms over the past two weeks. Another example of increasing use of online resources is Tsinghua University’s announcement that they allow PhD students to defend their thesis online rather than in person. The university will also add an additional graduation session in August for PhD students who were unable to graduate in June due to delays caused by the coronavirus.
To make up for class hours delayed by the epidemic control, primary and secondary schools in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Guangdong, Hunan and other provinces have explicitly started to “compress summer vacation” in exchange for “delayed start of schools.”
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
All IELTS and IELTS for UKVI tests are currently suspended until 1 April 2020.
Transfers, deferrals and refunds are available as appropriate for affected test takers. They can get further information by contacting their test centre by email.
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.
The British Council will recommence testing as soon as allowed by Chinese authorities and will focus operations on clearing the backlog in test takers.
If your students have registered for an IELTS test and have any concerns or questions about the arrangements for their test, please advise them to email their test centre directly.
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 17 March
Schools
On 25 February, the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) announced that schools in Hong Kong will continue to suspend classes to 20 April at the earliest until all conditions are improved and safe for all students to return to schools. However, due to the ongoing global coronavirus outbreak, the Chief Executive said on 17 March it will be impossible for schools to fully resume in April, and the plan to reopen them in phases means younger children could have many more weeks at home. The exact date of class resumption is subject to further assessment.
School principles and unions have proposed that the government reopen schools in stages when the coronavirus outbreak is stabilised. Senior secondary pupils could restart first in late April and younger students should stay at home until May. However, some representatives from the school sector raise their concerns about whether the schools are ready for reopen due to inadequate precautionary equipment (e.g. ongoing masks shortage). In response the Hong Kong government plans to meet the principles of local secondary and primary schools to discuss further arrangements.
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’, reported by Reuters. 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. This implicates that students may need to take extra lessons over the summer.
Meanwhile, secondary students have begun returning to some international 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 (CDNIS), and Kellett School (secondary school division).
In terms of this year’s HKDSE exam, EDB has announced that the written examinations will go ahead as planned, starting from 27 March. The release of results for the 2020 HKDSE will be deferred by a week, from 8 July to 15 July (tentative)
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: Hong Kong secondary schools should reopen first, say teachers, as younger pupils face prospect of Covid-19 shutdown until May, SCMP, 11.03.2020
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
Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) Contingency Measures for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)
EDB has announced that the written examinations will go ahead as planned, starting from 27 March. The release of results for the 2020 HKDSE will be deferred by a week, from 8 July to 15 July (tentative).
In response to this delay, JUPAS (the local universities admission system) has also decided to delay the admissions cycle by one week. The announcement of main round offer results will now be on 10th of 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.
Sources:
http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/MainNews/PR_HKDSE_eng.pdf
https://www.jupas.edu.hk/en/news/revised-important-dates-of-2020-jupas/
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)
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City University of Hong Kong – all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice
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Hong Kong Baptist University- all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice.
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The Open University of Hong Kong - all face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice
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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
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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. From Thursday 05 March, the Hong Kong office resumed some paper-based IELTS tests, with special precautionary measures in place. All customers and visitors will be temperature-checked on arrival and need to fill in a self-declaration form. For the most up-to-date information on our services, please visit our website: www.britishcouncil.hk/en/novel-coronavirus-update.
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:
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Press release: Government enhances disease prevention and control measures with reference to WHO's advice, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
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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.
Source:
https://news.gov.mo/detail/en/N20CQbWKUo?1
Contact: Anna Lee anna.lee@britishcouncil.org.hk or Karen Hsu karen.hsu@britishcouncil.org.hk
Indonesia
Updated 18 March
Confirmed cases in Indonesia
Indonesian authorities confirmed that there are 172 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.
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. We regret that we therefore cannot receive visitors to the office at this point, however we are of course available for online meetings via Skype.
Contact: Saman Imtiaz, saman.imtiaz@britishcouncil.org.my
Japan
Updated 18 March
The Japanese government is now asking anyone who arrives into the country from the EU and the UK to self-isolate for 14 days (announcement made 18th March).
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan
According to the World Health Organisation, as of 17th March the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 829 with 15 new cases reported in the previous 24hours. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200317-sitrep-57-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=a26922f2_2
Public Events
The Government of Japan has requested that organisers consider postponing or cancelling large-scale cultural and sporting events until 19 March, when a further assessment will be made.
Schools and Universities
On the 27th of February Prime Minister Abe has asked all elementary, middle and high schools to close from Monday 2nd of March until the end of their spring vacations (early April).
Study UK Spring Fair Japan 2020
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. We will be in touch with further details 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 18 March
Government Response
Malaysia’s COVID-19 cases have now soared to 553. 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.
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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.
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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.
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Full ban on overseas travels for Malaysians. Those returning from overseas MUST undergo health and screening and self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
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Full ban on tourists and foreign visitors entering Malaysia.
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 includes e-learning at all public and private higher education institutions for now, however, there are updates expected from education authorities about the closure and the possibility of alternative arrangements. We will keep you informed on the changes and updates.
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
Updated18 March
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Singapore are now at 266, with the highest increase by 23 recorded in a day so far. Most of the new cases had recently travelled out and back into Singapore. On 15 March the government advised all citizens to defer all non-essential travel plans for a month and travel advisory was updated for all with new requirements being announced at https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/health-clearance
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:
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All external & inter-school activities are postponed till end of March, including the National School Games
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No assemblies, camps or mass celebrations
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Staggered recess times
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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
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Some schools do not allow more than 6 persons to gather – even while lining up for school lifts
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Exams are held in smaller groups and not in halls
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No unnecessary visitors to campuses
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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.
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 18 March
South Korea has 8,413 cases out of 279,301 examinations (3.0%), 1,540 released cases from quarantine, and 84 death as of 12 p.m., 18 March. The country's alert level for COVID-19 has been raised to Red, its highest on 23 February.
Covid-19 is spreading quickly from two clusters of infections — a branch of a religious sect in the South-eastern city of Daegu and a hospital in its neighbouring county of Cheongdo — taking up more than half of the total cases in the country. Daegu and Cheongdo were designated as “special care zones” on 21 February while the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) are focusing on eradicating the virus within Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
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).
News 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
Contact: Diane Hsu, diane.hsu@britishcouncil.org.tw
Thailand
Updated 18 March
Thai government response
On Tuesday 17th March 2020, the cabinet approved the preventive measures to contain the situation in stage 2 of the outbreak as long as possible.
Some of the measures include:
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The Songkran New Year holiday (April 13-15) will be postponed until further notice.
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Universities, tutorial schools and all educational institutions will be closed for two weeks from Wednesday 18 March 2020.
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Boxing arenas, stadiums, horse racing tracks in Greater Bangkok will be closed until the situation improves.
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Pubs, entertainment and service places and theatres in Greater Bangkok will be closed for 14 days.
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Inter-provincial mass movements and events with gathering of a big group of people such as concerts, sports, and trade show must be avoided
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Malls, markets, eateries, public offices and state enterprises remain open but are instructed to take preventive measures such as surface cleaning or use of temperature scanners.
Useful information, advice, and updates on COVID-19 situation in Thailand can be obtained from Thailand Department of Disease Control at https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php
Schools, universities and public events
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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.
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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 a virtual class. Details of the announcement can be obtained from https://www.ops.go.th/main/index.php/news-service/announcement/1983-covid-19
British Council operation s
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
Sources:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1880655/govt-closes-schools-and-bars-postpones-songkran
https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/detail/871151
https://www.prachachat.net/general/news-433280
https://www.thairath.co.th/news/society/1797271
Vietnam
Updated: 16 March 2020
Government Response
The Vietnamese Government, on 14 March 2020, decided to temporarily suspend entry for tourists from the UK (and Schengen countries) as well as suspend visa on arrival.
All people need to wear facemasks at such public places like supermarkets, transport vehicles while foreigners are requested to wear facemasks upon arrival.
Schools and Universities
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.
Based on the revised calendar, chairpersons of municipal and provincial People’s Committees nationwide are asked to decide when schools are to be re-opened, depending on the reality of the situation in each locality. Students in Ho Chi MInh city will be off until April 5. In Hanoi, high schools will remain shut until March 22, while other schools including preschools, primary schools, secondary schools and vocational training centres will be shut until March 29.
The ministry also urged its provincial-level departments to streamline the curriculum and instruct schools to provide students with televised and online lessons.
News Sources:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/653568/schools-to-remain-shut-due-to-covid-19.html
Contact: Lien Ta, lien.ta@britishcouncil.org.vn
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