고3, 오늘 등교…80일 만에 교문 열려
Back in the classroon for the first time in months.
High schools across South Korea have re-opened, allowing students back after the COVID-19 outbreak delayed the start of the academic calendar.
A mixture of excitement and nervousness is in the air.
For more, we go live to our Jang Tae-hyun, who is standing by at a high school in Seoul.
Taehyun,... how's the atmosphere looking there?
Hi Mark, I'm here again at Seoul High School.
As I said before, schools are only open for high school seniors, in their third year.
The big reason for that is because they face a tight academic schedule to prepare for the college entrance exam, which has already been pushed back to early December.
Some are worried about the exam while others are happy to meet their friends again.
"I'm excited to be here at school and meet friends, but I'm a little worried about catching up with my studies."
"The college entrance exam has been delayed and the result will depend on how much we studied."
Some 450-thousand seniors will be heading to classrooms nationwide today, and the reopening of schools for the remaining grades will take place in stages through June 8th.
All students are required to have their body temperatures checked.
Teachers and staff should all wear face masks during classes and desks will be kept a distance apart from each other.
Taehyun, what happens if anyone shows symptoms of COVID-19?
Mark, if a student or anyone within the school grounds has a temperature above 37-point-five degrees Celsius, he or she will immediately be transferred to a separate room, a school nurse will check their temperature once again and they will be sent home.
Officials are doing their utmost to avoid an additional surge amid fears over new cases spotted across the nation over the past couple of weeks.
High school seniors must go to school every day but there are some exceptions.
In Daegu, the region worst hit by COVID-19, students can choose whether they want to take in-person classes.
Also, unlike before, when students had classes long into the evening, now school will end after lunchtime.
However, in Incheon, two high school seniors have been confirmed with COVID-19.
Seniors at 66 schools in the city have been told to return home until further notice.
That's all I got for now. I'll be back with more details. Back to you Mark.
Thank you for the update, Taehyun
