Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung announced on Thursday that due to the COVID-19 control situation, schools will not reopen before March 16. That means students will have to stay at home for several more weeks and take online lessons provided by their schools. Parents, especially those who will go back to work soon if not already, should understand that the SAR government always have the best interest of the younger generation of Hong Kong society at heart. For the same reason, all sectors of Hong Kong society, including businesses of all kinds, should put human lives ahead of profit now more than ever by offering flexible work arrangements to employees during this health emergency.

The decision to reopen schools no earlier than mid-March instead of late February is no doubt necessary to prevent infection of school students by the novel coronavirus, of which the incubation period could be as long as 24 days. Scientists have found that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted directly and indirectly because it can live outside the host for hours in a cool, humid environment without strong sunlight or artificial UV rays. As such, it is not surprising that the number of confirmed infection cases without visiting Wuhan or Hubei province since December has gone up this month. That is reason enough to remain extremely cautious when it comes to public indoor venues.

Members of the public should accept the fact that researchers and doctors around the world are still studying the novel coronavirus in order to effectively contain it and hopefully develop a vaccine that works in most if not all people regardless of their race (ethnicity), age or gender. Until then, we should all agree that the best way to keep school and preschool children safe now is for them to avoid crowded places, such as buses, MTR trains and schools. That is why the SAR government has delayed the post-holiday reopening of schools twice so far and suggested employers let their employees with young children work from home when necessary, until life in general is back to normal.

People should also remember that the number of confirmed novel coronavirus pneumonia cases could rise significantly in Hong Kong, as standard tests for diagnosis have proved not as reliable as previously thought and a considerable amount of negative results from the nucleic acid test turned out to be false in Hubei. In all probability, hospitals here may have to prepare for a much longer learning curve than they have experienced so far. That also means schools and preschools may have to remain closed after March 16, if public health authorities everywhere are not convinced the COVID-19 epidemic is over. Don’t take any risks under any circumstances for any reason, especially when it may adversely affect your family’s and your own health or even threaten lives!