It’s Back to School for 1.4 Million Pupils in Wuhan

BEIJING, KOMPAS.com – After seven months of closure, students in the city of Wuhan have gone back to school as schools and kindergartens have reopened.

The central Chinese city gained notoriety for being the "ground zero" of the coronavirus pandemic where the novel virus first emerged in late-2019.

Approximately 1.4 million students resumed classes at some 2,800 kindergartens, primary and middle schools across the city. Wuhan’s high schools reopened in May.

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State media broadcast images of thousands of students hoisting the Chinese flag — a daily routine at all public schools — despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings.

Schools have drawn up plans to switch back to online teaching should new outbreaks emerge, city officials said last week.

Students were advised to wear masks to and from school and avoid public buses or trains if possible.

Schools were also ordered to conduct drills and training sessions to help prepare for new outbreaks.

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Official figures show Wuhan accounted for 80 percent of China's more than 4,600 coronavirus-related deaths and was under a strict lockdown for more than two months from late January.