Nationwide Daycare Centers Extend Closure... Reopening Date to Be Decided Later (Update)

Emergency Childcare Continues to Be Implemented

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 31st that the nationwide closure period for daycare centers, which was until the 5th of next month, will be extended further. The reopening date will be decided after monitoring the situation.

The Ministry explained, "Social distancing is necessary to prevent infection from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and there is concern about community spread due to infections in densely populated living environments. Considering that daycare centers focus on play-based childcare and cannot operate online like schools, we have decided to extend the closure period."

The decision on reopening will be made by considering factors such as the level of confirmed cases, the possibility of infection control inside and outside daycare centers, and the usage rate of emergency childcare (attendance rate). Emergency childcare, which is provided for the convenience of guardians who need childcare during the closure period, will continue to be offered. Guardians can use emergency childcare by applying to the daycare center. It is full-day care from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and meals and snacks are provided as usual.

The Ministry will also provide 2.84 million masks (worth 2.8442 billion KRW) for emergency use in case confirmed cases, contacts, or symptomatic individuals occur among enrolled children and childcare staff. Additionally, various online contents such as parent education, interactive play, and child safety that parents and children can use together during home care are being offered. These can be accessed through the Central Childcare Support Center or the i-Sarang Portal website.