What’s new: China’s financial hub of Shanghai will temporarily close all elementary, middle and high schools starting Saturday, requiring students to study online amid a rise in local Covid-19 cases, education authorities said.
The local government will also suspend in-person classes at kindergartens, preschools, tutoring centers and nurseries, according to a statement (link in Chinese) published Friday by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. The commission did not specify how long the epidemic control measures will last, only stating that they will remain in place until further notice.
What’s more: The decision comes as Shanghai is battling an outbreak of the omicron variant of Covid-19. The city reported 75 local infections and 42 imported cases Thursday, health authorities said.
They said the source of infections can be traced to imported cases that ended up spreading locally due to “environmental contamination” and poor local epidemic control management, according to another Friday statement, which did not elaborate.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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