Singapore Warns New Virus Strains Infecting More Children, Shuts Schools

Authorities announced that primary, secondary schools and junior colleges would shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday

Singapore will close schools from Wednesday as authorities warned new coronavirus strains like the one first detected in India were affecting more children in the city-state. The government has been tightening restrictions following a recent rise in local transmissions after months of near-zero cases. At a virtual news conference late Sunday, authorities announced that primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges would shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28. Hours before Sunday's news conference, Singapore confirmed 38 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest daily count in eight months. Some of the cases involved children linked to a cluster at a tuition centre.