WORLD / ASIA-PACIFIC
Return to norm for schools in South Korea
Published: Nov 22, 2021 05:48 PM
People wearing face masks walk in Gwanghwamun area in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 15, 2021. South Korea reported 2,006 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 397,466. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

People wearing face masks walk in Gwanghwamun area in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 15, 2021. South Korea reported 2,006 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 397,466. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

For the first time since South Korea began battling its coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, all schools across the country resumed full-time in-person classes on Monday.

As the first country outside China to face a major outbreak of the virus, South Korea's schools have seen various stages of shutdowns, remote learning and hybrid arrangements.

Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus without the extensive lockdowns seen in other countries, but previous efforts at fully opening schools have been hampered by new waves of infections.

The fully reopened schools come as part of South Korea's "living with COVID-19" plan, adopted after it reached its vaccination goals in October. Overall 78.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, though that number drops to 12.8 percent for those aged 12-17.

"It is true that many concerns remain," South Korean education minister Yoo Eun-hye said on Monday.

Even as it eased social distancing amid high vaccination rates, the country has battled some of the highest daily case numbers yet, including a record number of severe cases.

South Korea reported 2,827 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Sunday, down slightly from nearly a week of daily totals over 3,000, including a record high 3,292 new cases on Thursday.

Most worrisome for health officials is an uptick in serious cases requiring hospitalization, which have lingered near record highs of more than 500.

Reuters