School restarts picking up in Japan amid lingering coronavirus fears

Well, they can't stay out of school forever.

Great news. Family disruption, domestic violence and suicide will decrease.

Great news. Cue the doomsayers and “second waver”s in five, four....

If I were a school board director, I would be planning to have an alternative learning option for students like holding online classes or holding physical classes not everyday. It just takes a single person to shut a school down and you'd be better off to have contingency plans. Some tough and bizarre times we are in right now. I hope they would rethink about allowing juku classes in this pandemic.

Great news. Cue the doomsayers and “second waver”s in five, four....

I'm happy that school is open again, but I don't see the point of dismissing those voicing concerns over a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands as mere "doomsayers". Japan has dodged a bullet so far, and thank god, but this disease hasn't been defeated yet and we need to keep taking it seriously if we want to avoid a second wave.

Should have happened sooner.

As the remaining four students displayed no symptoms, an education board official said there is a limit to what schools can do

what does this mean? Are they saying they’re allowing them to attend school and infect others while being asymptotic?

its very vague so correct me if I’m wrong, but this is very bad

 Are they saying they’re allowing them to attend school and infect others while being asymptotic?

Sure. Some people are expecting us all to have our literal own private clear plastic bubble now but its not going to happen. Everyone is just going to have to risk living instead of being dead with a pulse until their pulse stops for lack of food or something.

Should have happened sooner.

Definitely should have happened before they started opening bars and gyms

Those lingering fears just won't go away...

Some people are expecting us all to have our literal own private clear plastic bubble now but its not going to happen.

It's not going to happen because literally nobody is floating your strawman bubble theory, apart from yourself.

Everyone is just going to have to risk living instead of being dead with a pulse

Who has been 'dead with a pulse' during this? Most people seem to have been pretty chirpy and getting on with it. Strawman strike 2 for you.

until their pulse stops for lack of food or something.

There is plenty of food in the shops, so that's strawman strike 3 for you fella.

Mikan Yamada, 8, said, "I had been worried I might not be able to attend school ever again.

Mikan? Nice parenting! Also the comment says it all.

I am a homeroom teacher. Upper elementary. Read the available academic and scholarly analysis of remote learning and you will find naught but criticism. It is absolutely not a substitute for actual classroom learning and the social activities that mark successful teaching. Adapting a strategy that offsets the possibility of acquiring the virus is readily available and has been implemented by various educational institutions. The importance of school is found in its social aspects which cannot be conveyed in isolation. Nor is quality teaching achieved via remote learning - the subtleties, the art and craft of teaching requires a relationship that can only be enacted in an actual classroom. Missing a large block of schooling is detrimental to the academic and social growth of elementary school students. None of this is speculative, it is confirmed by numerous studies and should be apparent to anyone who pays attention to the obvious. One fortunate aspect, is the low infection rate among children and the mildness of the virus among that age group. One cause of concern is staff and teachers spreading the virus amongst adults and requires diligence and a limiting of social contacts among that cohort. Same with parents. Take all available precautions should work. Where is that vaccine?

voicing concerns over a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands 

Hundreds of thousands of people die from something or other every year. Reporting the large numbers is sensationalism. Using percentages it's a very small factor. Improve your life quality by rejecting panic, then live long and prosper!

Richard GallagherToday  08:08 pm JST

I am a homeroom teacher. Upper elementary. Read the available academic and scholarly analysis of remote learning and you will find naught but criticism. It is absolutely not a substitute for actual classroom learning and the social activities that mark successful teaching.

So true Richard. As an educator I hope your voice is heard. Interpersonal education, physical fitness, hands-on experiments and the arts... just can't be done effectively with a monitor, camera and microphone. The human experience is truly lost, especially amongst the young who are dipping their toes into the waters of life for the first time.

 Where is that vaccine?

They're not going to have that for a long time. Don't need it. Eat well, get exercise and sun and even if you get infected you'll get over it quickly, become immune to it and won't ever be a carrier of it. This is true for the vast majority of the population.

"coronavirus fears"

I'm not afraid. That is my strength. It can be yours, too.

^^ How does that song go again? Dum-de-dum-dum-DUM! Something like that?

Can we stop this BS now??

They're slowly coming around. Not in time to get the economy back to where it was for quite some time though.

There's another lesson here, too. Echoing complaints from last year ... teachers are overworked. They need help not more responsibility. Recent news reports that teachers are now escorting students to school as well as carrying desks and chairs in and out of school buildings. Also, staggered classes mean teachers are duplicating lessons. More teachers (or assistants) are needed.