S. Korea opening schools despite spike in cases
South Korea has reported 49 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a resurgence of the virus as the government defends its decision to reopen schools
Lockdown or no, study shows job losses similar; COVID-19 devastates economies (Lexis; login required)
A group of economists studying how South Korea fought the COVID-19 outbreak without stay-at-home orders found that the country still experienced significant job losses in a pattern similar to that of countries that imposed lockdowns. The study, from economists at Seoul's Myongji University, Queen Mary University of London and St. Louis's Washington University, also suggests that Canada's slowly reopening economy may not go back entirely to normal as long as the virus is still prevalent. "At most, half the job losses in the United States and the United Kingdom can be attributed to lockdowns," the economists argue. Most job losses came from reduced hiring by businesses and a significant amount of non-participation in the labour market, rather than unemployment.
Students at multiple universities caught cheating on online midterms
Students at Inha University, Sogang University, and Seoul National University and other South Korean institutions of higher education have been caught cheating on online exams, forcing universities to explore their options.
S. Korea completes phased school reopening
This put all the 5.95 million students below the higher education level back at school, plus pre-schoolers, more than three months after the start of school was put on hold due to the new coronavirus pandemic. But only one-third or two-thirds of them will actually be attending classes, with schools set to mix schedules for in-person classes and remote learning due to limited space for keeping a distance among students.
As countries reopen, hundreds of millions of students have returned to school
In late February, the South Korean government told students their break would be extended by one week. It was then extended by two more, and then indefinitely as the coronavirus spread. Schools began to reopen months later in late May, with high school seniors returning first…That initial reopening was delayed by a week after an outbreak in Seoul’s nightlife district of Itaewon. And just days after the first students set foot back in the classroom, hundreds of schools were closed after a sudden spike in new cases.
Universities across Asia start to reopen bit by bit
Following months of closure, South Korea began to resume in-person classes in May as new coronavirus cases in the country appeared to be slowing, starting with high school seniors preparing for university entrance exams, and other grades allowed in under a staggered plan, but then had to close them again at the end of May as cases resurged.
Universities across Asia start to reopen bit by bit
Universities had been scheduled to start face-to-face classes in late May for some students but some three-quarters of public and private institutions said they will extend distance learning, possibly until the end of the semester in late June, according to a May survey by the Korean Association of Private University Presidents. For the majority of students, onsite classes are unlikely to begin until September, the start of the academic year.
Virus-free or cheating-free? Exams a growing headache for universities
After delivering virtual lessons for the entire spring semester due to the COVID-19 outbreak, universities are agonizing over how to hold their final exams -- whether it should be in person or online.
Gov't urged to support colleges to refund tuition
The government should consider taking steps to make it easier for universities to refund tuition fees, after classes were disrupted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) said Tuesday.
Universities pressed to refund tuition amid protracted pandemic
Konkuk University's latest decision to offer partial tuition refunds is putting other schools under pressure over whether to follow suit. Many universities have consistently refused to do so, despite growing calls from their students, according to school officials Monday.
University is first to agree partial tuition fees refund
A major private university in Seoul became the first Korean institution this week to say it would partially refund tuition fees to students. This has boosted a major student campaign to have fees returned because of online classes, which students say have been substandard.
South Korea, Egypt report rise in virus cases as curbs ease
South Korea’s government reported 34 more coronavirus cases, adding to an upward trend in infections.
… New cases have been linked to nightlife establishments, church services, a large-scale e-commerce warehouse and door-to-door sellers.
COVID-19 case clusters offer lessons and warnings for reopening
On May 6, a 29-year-old man tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, just a few days after visiting five dance clubs in one night in Seoul's Itaewon district. On May 8, South Korea responded quickly, postponing plans to reopen schools and urging bars and clubs to shut down again for a month. As of June 8, the Korean Centers for Disease Control had linked the sick man to 96 other clubgoers who got COVID-19, plus 178 people with whom those clubgoers came into contact. That wasn't the only cluster that put the brakes on South Korea's reopening plans. Soon more clusters popped up in an online retail center, a theme park, a table tennis club and a handful of churches.
Other countries should expect similar starts and stops upon relaxing stay-at-home rules. "Reopening is not a one-way street, and we may need to make a U-turn," says Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Irvine.
U.S. Coronavirus-Case Surge Throws Off Plans for Reopenings
South Korea reported 28 new cases, bringing the total to 12,563. Most of the locally transmitted cases were reported in metropolitan Seoul, as cluster infections linked to logistic centers and door-to-door retailers continue.
South Korean cities have begun canceling annual events out of concern about a second wave. Pyeongchang, site of the 2018 Winter Olympics, called off a cultural tourism festival scheduled for the fall to prevent infections from metropolitan Seoul metropolitan from spreading regionally. The coastal city of Gangneung canceled its summer music festival and beachside events.