Advice for UK Education Institutions visiting the East Asia region

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 Coronavirus 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 changes to IELTS test arrangements, please refer here . Many test takers in affected 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.

For our analysis on scenarios and responses for UK HE, please read our blog here

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 3 February

Changes to Chinese Education institution semesters, class times and examinations

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. https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/chinese-educational-institutions-set-out-responses-coronavirus

British Council offices and activities

All British Council offices in China will remain closed until Monday 10 February, in line with the Chinese government's requirement. A decision on whether scheduled British Council March education activities in China will go ahead will be made on a case by case basis as we continue to assess the evolving situation. All impacted institutions will be updated accordingly.

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 6 February

Local class suspension until Thursday 02 March

The Education Bureau has announced to extend suspension of lessons at all primary and secondary schools and kindergartens from Monday 17 February to Thursday 02 March. Some local Higher Education Institutions (e.g. Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Hong Kong) also followed suit and have made precautions and arrangements to support their students accordingly. In addition, according to South Morning China Post, the chairman of secondary headteachers association shared his concerns about the latest class suspension and worried this could potentially impact Secondary Year 3 students facing their university entrance examination this year, as they are expected to take mock tests in February but now obtain fewer teaching contact hours from schools. He urged schools to cancel examinations for other grades and turn to online learning instead.

Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) Contingency Measures for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

The HKEAA have announced date changes for some HKDSE exams, with a knock-on effect on the HKDSE result release date. Please refer to our market news item here - https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/rescheduling-and-contingency-measures-2020-hong-kong-diploma-of-secondary-education

British Council Operations

The British Council office in Hong Kong will remain closed until Monday 10 February. To support efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Hong Kong, we have postponed upcoming English classes, tests and exams for the next 2 weeks and will review the status on a weekly basis. Most staff are currently working from home, and we regret that we currently cannot receive visitors to the office.

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 3 February, 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.

Please note that Taiwan is now imposing a 14 day quarantine for any visits coming from Hong Kong.

Contact karen.hsu@britishcouncil.org.hk

Singapore

Updated 7 February

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.

On Friday the 7th the government has raised the alert level, following three cases of local virus transmission. As a result schools are to suspend external activities until the end of the March school holidays. Health authorities have also advised organisers of large scale events to take additional measures such as screening peoples temperatures.

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

Vietnam

Vietnam on Saturday 1 February 2020 declared an epidemic as the number of people infected with the 2019 novel Coronavirus was increasing day by day.

School Closures

On February 2, the Government Office issued an instruction asking the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health to guide localities nationwide on school closures. According to the instruction, schools across the country ranging from nursery to high schools can allow their pupils to temporarily stay at home. Localities can decide how long local schools should be closed based on the situation in their area.

  • Hanoi - Hanoi Department of Education and Training then announced that nursery to vocational training schools would remain shut from February 3-10
  • Ho Chi Minh City - Department of Education and Training decided to shut down local schools for a week, starting from February 3 to 9.
  • Dozens of universities nationwide have also permitted their students to stay at home until February 10 or 17.

Travel Advice from the British Embassy in Vietnam

The Vietnamese authorities are implementing steps to mitigate the risks of infection, including health screening at airports and land borders. People showing signs of respiratory illness on arrival in Vietnam can expect to be checked. You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the local authorities. Anyone confirmed as having Coronavirus, including foreigners, can expect to be quarantined. The Vietnamese authorities have also announced travel restrictions and quarantine requirements: as of 1 February 2020, anyone who has visited China in the previous 14 days will be refused entry to Vietnam. The only exceptions will be people with specific agreement travelling on official government business. As of 3 February 2020, anyone already in Vietnam who has been in Hubei Province within the past 14 days should go in to medical quarantine. Anyone who has been elsewhere in mainland China within the past 14 days should self-isolate at home.

Public Events

The Vietnamese government has recommended that citizens wear masks in public, and it has introduced special permits for anyone seeking to organise large public events.

News Sources:

http://dtinews.vn/en/news/020/66331/61-localities-close-schools-amid-rising-fears-of-coronavirus-spreading.html

http://dtinews.vn/en/news/020/66287/schools-temporarily-closed-over-coronavirus-concerns.html 

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