Some schools reopen in Japan against education ministry’s request

   TOKYO, March 16 -- Some schools in Japan reopened for lessons on Monday after being shut for around two weeks after the education ministry requested schools be closed to contain the spread of the COVID-19.
   Education boards of Toyama, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Naha cities as well as Okinawa Prefecture decided to resume classes at their elementary and junior high schools, as they have judged the virus has not affected their communities, local media reported Monday.
   The school closures, while being requested by the education ministry, were not mandatory, although under a new law passed last week could become compulsory if Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares a state of emergency over the pneumonia-causing virus, which is continuing to spread in Japan.
   Japan's health ministry and local governments said on Monday the number of COVID-19 infections had risen to 812 infected people in Japan as of 6:30 p.m. local time.
   The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at a total of 32 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship which was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.
   According to the statistics released at that time, eight new infections were confirmed in Hokkaido, Niigata, Gunma, Hyogo, and Shiga prefectures.
   Of the schools that reopened Monday, some of them took what they deemed to be precautionary measures against the transmission of the virus, such as keeping classrooms well ventilated and keeping pupils' desks apart from each other.
   According to a survey conducted by Kyodo News, of the 18 education boards that were planning to reopen on Monday, 13 of them decided to extend the closure until spring break, which ends in early April.  Enditem Xinhua