Working Parents "After Emergency Care, We Have No Choice but to Send Kids to Academies... Also Reluctant About Unfamiliar Babysitters"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the night of the 23rd, Ms. Lee, a parent living in Sanghyeon-dong, Yongin, received a phone call from the kindergarten her child attends. The call was to confirm whether her child would attend, as a COVID-19 confirmed case had been reported nearby. Ms. Lee said, "The kindergarten said it was okay to send the child if there was nowhere else to leave them, but they also mentioned that the child's friends would not be attending." She added, "I wonder if my child will be the only one left alone at the kindergarten tomorrow morning."
As the start of the new semester for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide has been postponed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), dual-income families with young children are facing another emergency. It seems practically difficult to find a place to leave kindergarten or lower-grade elementary school children immediately.
Mr. Lee, an office worker with a second-grade elementary school child, said, "Fortunately, the school operates a care classroom where my child can have lunch, but it ends at 4 p.m., so I have to shuttle the child to Taekwondo or piano lessons to roughly match my mother's work finishing time." He added, "The government advises refraining from attending academies, but in this situation, we are worried that even the academies might close."
Ms. Kang, a nurse at a university hospital, lamented, "Due to the impact of COVID-19, the hospital is extremely busy, but I have to shuttle my child from one academy to another."
It is somewhat fortunate if grandparents can help. Otherwise, parents need to find a babysitter, but this option is equally uncomfortable. Ms. Sung, who has a kindergarten child, said, "Last spring break, my husband and I took turns taking leave to care for our child, but this year, with the semester postponed, we have to find a babysitter." She added, "However, during an infectious disease outbreak, it is uncomfortable to let a complete stranger into the house, and since university student sitters might have had contact with international students, it is difficult to decide quickly," showing her distress.
Another parent, Ms. Lee, said, "My mother, who lives with us and helps care for the child, went to church yesterday, so I asked her to refrain from going for a while, but I was scolded instead." She complained, "I don't know if it's fortunate to have a caregiver or unfortunate because of added mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts."
In the education field, there are criticisms that home care by parents taking leave and individual care services should be prioritized, but the government is shifting responsibility only to school care classrooms. The school irregular workers' union, which includes school care workers, said, "We take care of children according to the demand of dual-income parents, but it is questionable whether it is right to gather dozens of children in one place under the current circumstances." They added, "The safety guidelines are very basic, such as hand sanitizing, wearing masks, and cough etiquette, and both children and care workers are exposed to virus infection without protection," urging the government to prepare specific countermeasures.
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