Moon inspects school reopening preparations

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in visited a high school in Seoul on Friday to check preparations to begin in-person classes that have been delayed due to the coronavirus crisis. High school seniors nationwide will be back in classrooms starting Wednesday as part of South Korea's school reopening scheme. The rest will follow suit in stages over a few weeks. The move signals that South Korea is returning to normal life amid a slowdown in daily new infections. Earlier this week, South Koreans shifted to "everyday life quarantine" from 45 days of stringent social distancing, while the virus alert level stays at the highest of "red." The president inspected plans and equipment to minimize infection risks at schools, including temperature checks and hand disinfection, along with a group of parents, teachers, quarantine experts and senior education ministry officials. He stressed the need for thorough measures to keep infections at bay. Schools here usually begin the new semester in early March, but they have remained shut for the past two months, with students taking online classes. lcd@yna.co.kr (END)