Key Updates 

The China Ministry of Education stresses 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 campuses, strict management measures must be taken”. See below for full details. 

Following a directive from the Ministry of Education in China, all examinations scheduled to be delivered by the British Council in March have been cancelled. This impacts test takers for IELTS and UKVI IELTS tests in Mainland China. All test takers have been informed and refunds issued. 

The British Council will recommence testing as soon as allowed by Chinese authorities and will focus operations on clearing the backlog in test takers. 

The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) has decided that schools in Hong Kong will continue to suspend classes to 20 April the earliest until all conditions are improved and safe for all students to return to schools. In terms of this year’s HKDSE exam, EDB has announced that the written examinations will go ahead as planned, starting from 27 March

Summary 

On 30th Jan 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus situation a global health emergency and called for a more coordinated international response to the outbreak.  

 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 who are visiting East Asia for events or meeting the British Council updated on disruptions 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 that you may be visiting.  

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:  

China 

Updated 25 February    

Changes to Chinese Education institution semesters, class times and examinations 

Over the last three 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. According to the latest news, 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 (up to date as of 25 February), schools and universities will return no earlier than the following dates:  

Date	Provincial-level regions
End of February to Beginning of March	Yunnan; Sichuan; Chongqing; Guangdong; Jiangsu; Shandong; Zhejiang; Henan; Hebei; Heilongjiang; Gansu; Jiangxi; Qinghai; Guizhou; Shanxi; Guangxi; Inner Mongolia; Tibet; Liaoning; Hunan; Shaanxi; Shanghai (online teaching); Anhui (online teaching);
No set date	Hubei (further suspension); Beijing; Tianjin; Fujian; Jilin; Ningxia; Xinjiang; Hainan

  
Although provinces have set dates as above, all provinces' announcements state that these reopening dates are also subject to further notice from provincial education departments. Most have now been postponed further until at least the end of February, and some regions still have no set date to reopen.  

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 stated to “compress summer vacation” in exchange for “delayed start of schools.” Most recently Jiangsu and Anhui have confirmed that higher education institutions could coordinate teaching plans for the upcoming spring term and autumn term starts from September, specific course teaching arrangements could be adjusted to autumn if not affecting the overall plan, also weekends and summer breaks could be appropriately reduced in accordance with specific circumstances.   

Meanwhile, over 30 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.  

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.   

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 March 31, are permitted, but not required, to suspend the start of their study until that date. Meanwhile students who are already overseas but whose course will finish before March 31 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 March 31. 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:  

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 

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. Moving forward the IELTS Partners will be looking to increase test session availability as soon as they can re-start testing.  

• 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 25 February  

Local class suspension extended to April 20 at the earliest  

Kindergartens and Primary and Secondary Schools:  

The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) has decided that schools in Hong Kong will continue to suspend classes to 20 April the earliest until all conditions are improved and safe for all students to return to schools. Previously, students were tentatively scheduled to return to school on 16 March, but EDB then further extended that to April, after the Easter holiday.   

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. This implicates that students may need to take extra lessons over the summer.    

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://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3052199/coronavirus-hong-kong-school-closures-extend-beyond-easter 

 Local universities   

• University of Hong Kong - all classes are schedule to resume from 30 March to 16 May  

• Hong Kong University of Sciences and Technology - campus will remain closed until 23 February.   

• Chinese University of Hong Kong – campuses are closed until 16 February   

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - all classes are suspended until 01 March (inclusive)  

• 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 31 March  

• Hang Seng University of Hong Kong - offices are closed until 01 March   

• Vocational Training Council - all face-to-face classes are suspended until 16 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.   

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). Please refer to the HKEAA’s press release here - http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/MainNews/PR_HKDSE_eng.pdf 

 British Council Operations  

The British Council office in Hong Kong will remain closed for external meetings until further notice. Some face-to-face English teaching for adults and Computer-delivered IELTS (CDI) recommenced on a limited basis from 24 February Monday.  

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  

As a preventative effort to eliminate the virus outbreak. The Government has inserted a series of border restrictions effective from today (03 February 2020) the following transport services and border control point services will be reduced or suspended until further notice:  

•  National railway services: the services of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Intercity Through Train will be suspended.  

• Aviation services: mainland China flights will be reduced by 50%.  

• Ferry services: all cross-boundary ferry services to and from Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, China Ferry Terminal and the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal will be suspended.  

• Land-based cross-boundary transport, cross-boundary coach and shuttle bus services: the control points of Lo Wu , Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Lok Ma Chau – Huanggang will be closed at midnight on Tuesday 04 February. Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will remain open, but the service frequency of the public transport will be reduced.  

 Enhancing exit screening and health declaration at HK International Airport and Shenzhen Bay Port  
  
Starting from Saturday 01 February, Hong Kong International Airport will implement body temperature checks for both departing and transit passengers. No boarding will be allowed for passengers with fever. On land-based control point, the Government will impose a requirement for health declaration at the Shenzhen Bay Port.  

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  

Mandatory quarantine on people entering Hong Kong from Mainland China   

As of 08 February, Hong Kong residents who arrive from Mainland China are required to spend their 14-day quarantine at home, though their family members and friends will not be subjected to the quarantine. Visitors will be able to isolate themselves at the hotels they have booked. Anyone who violates the restrictions will be subjected to a six-month imprisonment and a fine of up to HK$25,000 or both.  

Source:   
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  

Macau 

Schools and Higher Education institutions in Macau are currently closed, The date of class resumption is yet to be announced. 

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

  

Japan  

Updated 13 February  

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan  

According to the World Health Organisation, as of 12th February the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 28. A further 175 cases have been confirmed among passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship currently moored in Yokohama port.   

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports     

Schools and Universities    

To our knowledge, there have been no school or university closures reported in the Tokyo area as a result of COVID-19.  

Forthcoming British Council events  

Our venues remain open and, as things stand, the events below will go ahead in March. We are monitoring the situation very closely and will continue to implement any further measures in line with the advice of local government agencies. We will continue to update institutions as the situation develops.    

• 23 Mar: UK Japan University Networking Event 2020  

• 30 Mar: Study UK Spring Fair Japan 2020  

 We are asking our guests and participants to observe the following advice:   

• If you are feeling unwell, have a cough, fever or flu, please seek immediate medical advice on whether you should still attend our event, and inform British Council Japan in advance.    

• If you would like to bring and/or wear a mask, please feel free to do so and note that our staff may be wearing a mask as well, as a precautionary measure.   

• We recommend using hand sanitisers and regular handwashing as a basic safeguard.   

Contact  

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

  

Indonesia 

Updated 13 February  

There have not been any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Indonesia, but neighbouring countries have been affected by the virus. For Indonesia, it is business as per usual across the education sector and at large.  

With regard to changes implemented at educational institutions, one international school in Jakarta has implemented the following policies as a precaution:  

• Each university representative visiting the school will submit a short report of their travel itinerary for the last 3 weeks  

• Any person who visited China region including Hong Kong might be denied entry to the school  

• The school is checking body temperature before entrance; any person with a temperature of 38 or higher will not be permitted to enter the school  

Sources:   

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/02/02/indonesia-to-stop-flights-to-and-from-china-amid-coronavirus-epidemic.html  

http://promkes.kemkes.go.id/informasi-tentang-virus-corona-novel-coronavirus  

  

Malaysia  

Updated 12 February 2020  

• British Council Malaysia operations - business as usual on a day to day basis.  

• British Council TNE Forum scheduled for early March is now postponed.  

• Bett Asia - an externally organised event is postponed.  

• The Higher Education Partnership forum – will now be held online/webinar  

Johor state  

• Johor Baru have cancelled all state organised events for the month of February  

• Private organisers of large-scale events have been advised to cancel events where mass crowds are expected  

• Johor government has advised event organisers to postpone mass religious and cultural events  

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/wuhan-virus-outbreak-johor-to-suspend-all-mass-gathering-events-12397508  

Schools and Universities  

• University Malaya (UM) have decided to replace all classes and lectures with online sessions from 17 to 23 Feb   

• Students will be allowed to attend lectures 24 Feb onwards – after the 14-day isolation period   

Source: https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2020/02/07/coronavirus-um-cancels-all-face-to-face-lectures-tutorials-labs/  

 

Singapore  

Updated 14 February  

On 7 February, the Ministry of Health in Singapore increased the alert status to Amber. This requires event organisers to postpone or cancel non-essential large-scale events. Based on this update from the Ministry of Health (www.moh.gov.sg) we have postponed the Study UK Fair and Schools Roadshow 2020 till further notice.  

Source: https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/risk-assessment-raised-to-dorscon-orange  

The Singapore government has announced precautionary measures to fight the spread of the virus. The measures include cancelling mass assemblies in schools and suspending excursions. In practical terms this has meant that university visits to meet students, and schools promoting student recruitment events to their student body is not viable at present.  

News Source - https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/wuhan-coronavirus-cancellation-school-assemblies-field-trips-and-communal-activities-among-new-measures?cid=emarsys-today_TODAY%27s%20morning%20briefing%20for%20Feb%205,%202020%20%28ACTIVE%29_newsletter_05022020_today  

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

  

South Korea 

Updated on 26 February  

South Korea has 1,146 cases, 22 released cases from quarantine, and 11 deaths as of 10a.m., 26 February.[1] The country's alert level for COVID-19 has been raised to Red, its highest on 23 February.[2][3][5] 

Covid-19 is spreading quickly from two clusters of infections — a branch of a religious sect in the Southeastern city of Daegu and a hospital in its neighboring 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.[2][4][5] 

Schools and Universities

As a preventive measure against the spread of the virus, all schools across the nation, including kindergartens, are ordered to postpone spring semester openings by one week to March 9. The public, religious groups, and civic organisations are also advised to refrain from engaging in collective events for public safety.[2][3][5] 

The government has already advised local universities to postpone the new school year by up to four weeks, with most schools taking part in the plan. The Ministry of Education reported that 255 out of 384 universities (66.4%) had postponed the start of their spring semester as of 14 February.[8][11][12] 

Border Control

South Korea bans entry of all non-Koreans from the Hubei province of China. All Koreans and foreigners arriving from China, including Hong Kong and Macau, undergo ‘special quarantine procedures’ upon arrival at all South Korean airports and ports. The procedure is referred to as allowing entry after verifying the residence and actual contact number in Korea.

Visa-free programmes on Jeju Island for Chinese visitors are suspended, starting from 4 February.

Korean Air, the country's national flag carrier, and other local carriers have suspended or reduced their flights to adjust to weak demand on domestic and international routes as the spread of the novel coronavirus is impacting travel.

News Sources: 

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

S. Korea raises alert level to 'highest' for COVID-19 

Korean Times (24 February) https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/02/119_283921.html 

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 

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

  

Taiwan 

Updated 14 February  

There are current eighteen cases confirmed of the Coronavirus in Taiwan, all are imported or close contact cases. There have been no community outbreaks. 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 MoE Taiwan had the announcement on 3 Feb, the new dates of new terms are 25 Feb for Secondary schools and 2 March for most University level to start the new term.    

For public events and gatherings for schools and universities, some are cancelled while some are continuing as normal, so we recommend checking with individual organisers. A couple of examples are as follows:  

Event name	Org	Original timeline	Situation
Local University Fair for mostly local university	Local Media company	29th Feb-1March	Cancelled
Studyworld fair	Agent - UKEAS	6-10 March	Going ahead
Overseas Education Expo Taipei	Agent – Oh Study	7- 11 March	Going ahead

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

  

Thailand 

Updated 14 February   

The number of local novel coronavirus patients remained at 33 on Friday 14 February 2020. 13 of them had fully recovered and been discharged and 20 were still in hospitals, according to the Disease Control Department. the local authority link is https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php   

Thai government response  

Surveillance and preparedness to respond to emerging infectious diseases have been enhanced in the government and private hospitals, and areas of tourist attractions.   

Schools, universities and public events   

At present schools and universities are open as normal, and public events are generally going ahead.   

British Council’s operation   

The operation of British Council in Thailand in their 6 centres (5 in Bangkok and 1 in Chiang Mai) remains business as usual. English classes and IELTS and other Exams, as well as events with the public, remain unchanged.   

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

  

Vietnam  

Updated: 21 February 

According to the Ministry of Health, by 20th February, 15 out of 16 patients in Vietnam were successfully cured of the virus. 

School Closures  

As many as 56 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide decided to close schools until the end of February. 

The southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City plans to close schools until the end of March.   

The Minister of Education and Training on February 14 proposed forced school break to be extended until the end of February. The ministry has also planned to stretch out the academic year to ensure the teaching program. Meanwhile, several schools have launched online teaching to ensure the progress of the curriculum. 

News Sources:  

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/vietnam-lengthens-school-closure-to-prevent-covid-19-spread-617440.html 

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