Remote classes to continue until Sept. 20 in greater Seoul area

A student checks a website for a remote class schooling that replaced the ordinary in-person classroom learning in schools nationwide due to the risks of COVID-19. Korea Times file

The Ministry of Education said on Friday that schools in Seoul and its surrounding cities will remain online-only until Sept. 20, in accordance with the government's decision to extend stricter social distancing rules in the area.

The measure will apply to all kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools in the metropolitan area ― Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. But high school seniors are not subject to the policy in order to prepare for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the yearly national university entrance exam slated for Dec. 3.

The measure came as the government decided to extend the 2.5-tier social distancing restrictions in the area by another week, limiting operations of restaurants, bakeries, franchise coffee chains, indoor sports facilities and cram schools.

Korea's health authorities run a three-tier social distancing system, with Level 3 being the toughest, under which most business and social activities shut down, except for essential businesses like hospitals and grocery stores.

Schools in the rest of the country are required to continue to offer a mix of in-person and remote classes, with attendance capped at one-third in elementary and middle schools and two-thirds in high schools. (Yonhap)

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