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ANKARA
Hong Kong authorities on Friday announced the closure of primary schools for two weeks starting next week in the wake of rising coronavirus cases, local media reported.
Health Secretary Sophia Chan said face-to-face classes for primary school grades 1-3 will be suspended for two weeks, according to Hong Kong Radio Television.
Last week, the city government also ordered kindergartens to be closed for 15 days due to outbreaks of upper respiratory infections.
“It was concerning that the various infection control measures in place failed to prevent those outbreaks, and this does not bode well for the new wave of COVID-19 infections,” Chan said according to the report.
“As the transmission routes of upper respiratory tract infections and COVID-19 are similar, if COVID-19 spreads in schools, the risk it poses to the community is very high,” he added.
The Health Secretary warned that the situation is rapidly deteriorating in the territory and urged people to be more alert and avoid unnecessary meetings.
According to Chan, authorities will assess the situation later to determine whether the suspension needs to be extended.
On Friday, the city state reported 26 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 5,491.
So far, 108 people have died, while 5,233 have recovered, according to health authorities.
* Written by Islamuddin Sajid
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