Anchor: Kindergartens and schools in the greater Seoul area will shift to online classes from Wednesday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. The measure is to continue for the next two weeks, at which time the government will decide whether to extend it taking into account the overall situation.
Park Jong-hong has this report.

Report: The decision to revert to online classes was announced in an emergency joint briefing to reporters.

Amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae addressed the public on Tuesday with top education officials from Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province on hand.

[Sound bite: Yoo Eun-hae Education Minister (Korean/English translation)]
“Starting from Wednesday, classes for students at kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools and special schools in the capital region including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon will be shifted to online sessions until September 11. However, students who urgently need to come to school, including high school seniors preparing for the state-administered university exam, will be exempted from the transfer to remote classes. Still, those students will be required to adhere to quarantine rules at school, such as distancing and wearing masks.”

The government will also allow special schools and schools with 60 or less students to decide on their own on whether to make the shift.

The otherwise across-the-board move will remain in place until September 11th, after which an extension could be ordered depending on progress in curbing the spread of the virus.

[Sound bite: Yoo Eun-hae Education Minister (Korean/English translation)]
“The alarming spread of cluster infections since early this month is also noticeable among students and faculty members. In just two weeks since August 11th, 193 students and teachers in the capital region tested positive. Seventy-six percent of the in-school cases confirmed so far were reported during the two-week period.”

Minister Yoo explained that the school shutdown is a preemptive measure and the strongest possible under the current Level Two social distancing guidelines.

She said the most urgent thing at this juncture is to quickly bring the spread under control so as to administer the university entrance exam as scheduled on December 3.

But she failed to give a direct answer when asked if the ministry has a contingency plan in the event that the pandemic further deteriorates.
Park Jong-hong KBS World Radio News.