🔴Anchor 🔴Script
Welcome to the World news. World news keeps you updated news around the nations.
Today's topic is "Japan to Close All Schools to Stop Virus"
On February 27, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked all of the country's elementary, middle and high schools to close until late March to help control the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The request surprised many local officials. It will affect 12.8 million students at about 34,800 schools, according to the education ministry.
Abe said that the decision aims to protect children and help avoid large-scale infections. He said that the next week or two will be "an extremely important time."
By February 27, Japan had more than 910 cases of the virus, including 705 on a cruise ship in the city of Yokohama. On the same day, an eighth death from the virus was confirmed on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Abe's announcement came hours after several local governments had announced their own decisions to close schools for shorter periods.
Officials in Hokkaido said they were closing all 1,600 elementary and middle schools. Hokkaido now has 54 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the most in the country outside the cruise ship.
Japan's school year ends in March, leaving little time for final exams or graduation ceremonies. Abe also said that schools should keep exams and graduation ceremonies to a minimum.
The Japanese government has also asked companies to allow staff to work flexible hours or work from home to reduce infection risks.
Japan isn't the only country to close schools to stop the virus. On February 23, South Korea announced that its school year would begin one week later than planned, with the new start date on March 9. By February 27, South Korea had more than 1,700 cases of COVID-19.
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