Parents angry as COVID-19 shuts schools for a month

Japan and Hong Kong have closed their elementary, junior-high and high schools until April. Governments say
they want to protect children from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Schools in Japan will remain closed until April the
8th, which is the start of the new school year. Children in Hong Kong will return to school on April the 20th at the
earliest. Parents are now worried about the school closures. Working parents have to think about how to care for
younger children. Grandparents will look after many children while their parents go to work. However, many
children have no grandparents or extended family who live nearby. Parents may have to pay for expensive childcare
fees.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shut the country's schools after a meeting of Japan's anti-virus task force. He
said the next two weeks are critical to control the spread of COVID-19. He wants to "stem the risk of many children
and teachers becoming infected through gathering for long hours every day". The government said it would urge
public services and private companies to make it easier for people to take time off work to look after their children.
An angry mother said: "I wonder if the government thinks it is OK to leave children at home alone for long hours."
She asked: "What's the point of closing schools if parents are still commuting in packed trains in which passengers
may have COVID-19?"
1. Write down all of the different words you associate with the word "protect".
2. AVOIDING COVID-19: Put the best things to avoid COVID-19 at the top.
self-quarantine
hand-washing
wearing a mask
avoid people
don't touch things
alcohol spray
don't touch your face
listen to WHO advice
3. Match: Paragraph 1

1. elementary school a. Keep safe from harmful people or things.

2. protect b. The action of shutting something for a long time, or forever (like a
shop, school, road, etc.).
3. remain c. Go back to a place or person.
4. return d. Stay as it is.
5. closure e. A place where children aged between five and ten go to learn and
make friends.
6. extended family f. Money paid to a professional for advice or services.
7. fees g. The people you are related to outside of your parents, brothers and
sisters.

Paragraph 2

8. task force h. Try hard to get someone to do something.

9. critical i. A group of people that makes decisions about important things,
usually in an emergency.
10. spread j. Affected with a disease-causing organism.
11. stem k. Very, very, very full and crowded.
12. infected l. Move to a larger and larger area.
13. urge m. Stop something from happening.
14. packed n. Very, very, very, very important for the future of something.

4. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

1. Japan, Hong Kong and China have closed their high schools. T / F
2. Schools in Hong Kong will stay closed until April the 20th at the earliest. T / F
3. Parents are not at all worried about the school closures. T / F
4. Japan has said childcare will be free in March for working parents. T / F
5. An anti-task virus force met in Japan. T / F
6. The next two weeks are important to stop the spread of the virus. T / F
7. Japan wants companies to help workers who have children. T/F
8. A mother questioned the closures when people use crowded trains. T/F

5. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. closed
2. protect
3. remain
4. worried
5. fees
6. force
7. critical
8. urge
9. OK
10. packed

a. safeguard
b. acceptable
c. charges
d. stay
e. important
f. concerned
g. encourage
h. shut
i. crowded
j. group

6. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1. they want to protect

2. Schools in Japan will
3. worried about the school
4. grandparents or extended
5. Parents may have to pay for expensive
6. a meeting of Japan's anti-virus task
7. control the spread
8. children and teachers becoming
9. the point
10. parents are still commuting

a. of closing schools
b. family
c. children
d. force
e. infected
f. remain closed
g. in packed trains
h. closures
i. childcare fees
j. of COVID-19

7. Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below: Remain, care, fees, closed, nearby, earliest, protect,
work

Japan and Hong Kong have (1) ____________ their elementary, junior-high and high schools until April.
Governments say they want to (2) ____________ children from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Schools in Japan will
(3) ____________ closed until April the 8th, which is the start of the new school year. Children in Hong Kong will
return to school on April the 20th at the (4) ____________. Parents are now worried about the school closures.
Working parents have to think about how to (5) ____________ for younger children. Grandparents will look after
many children while their parents go to (6) ____________. However, many children have no grandparents or
extended family who live (7) ____________. Parents may have to pay for expensive childcare (8) ____________.

8. Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below: Gathering, spread, packed, urge, force, alone, risk,
angry

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shut the country's schools after a meeting of Japan's anti-virus task (9)
____________. He said the next two weeks are critical to control the (10) ____________ of COVID-19. He wants
to "stem the (11) ____________ of many children and teachers becoming infected through (12) ____________ for
long hours every day". The government said it would (13) ____________ public services and private companies to
make it easier for people to take time off work to look after their children. An (14) ____________ mother said: "I
wonder if the government thinks it is OK to leave children at home (15) ____________ for long hours." She asked:
"What's the point of closing schools if parents are still commuting in (16) ____________ trains in which passengers
may have COVID-19?"

9. Put the words in the right order

a. to protect children COVID-19 . Governments want from
b. now are about closures . worried the Parents school
c. care Think younger children . how for about to
d. or nearby . family extended Grandparents live who
e. have expensive pay to may childcare fees . Parents
f. a meeting task force . After of Japan's anti-virus
g. control COVID-19 . the to of Critical spread
h. off Easier take to people for work . time
i. home leave children It's at to alone . OK
j. trains . packed are still commuting in Parents
10. Free writing: Write about COVID-19, 100 words.
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11. Academic writing: It is essential we all self-quarantine to combat COVID-19. Agree or disagree. Bring
your arguments.

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