Globally over 300 million students have been sent home due to their school shutting down because of the epidemic. Only a few weeks prior, China was the only country which suspended classes. As of now, Italy, India, and some states in America have restricted students to just their homes. Other countries where the numbers rise in masses have also taken safety precautions, such as South Korea and Japan.

Children are getting impatient and ask parents when they will finally be able to go and play outside. University and high-school students are missing key exams, and middle schoolers complain they can’t go see their friends. Governments are trying to help; France is offering 14 days of sick leave for parents who have to look after their children and Japan is offering subsidies to help cover the cost of people taking time off to look after their families.

The problem is, not everyone has access to online classes, especially poorer families in poorer countries, leaving many children behind in schoolwork. Many parents have to take time off and help their kids keep up with work, loosening household income. However, some countries have found alternatives, such as Italy with their Videocall website for teachers to lead online classes, or Mongolian TV stations airing primary school classes.

With our school’s increasing chance of closing, the faculty have set up google classroom for each class so that we don’t miss any schoolwork ourselves. But you have to organize your workspace at home too, so that you make the most out of the situation. The key is to stay organized and stay on top of your tasks. It’s easy to fall behind when you don’t have a teacher tell you directly what to do. Taking breaks to re-focus and prepare your brain to absorb new information. It is recommended that per 1 hour of studying, take 15 minutes of break. Listen to music, walk around, drink some water or even nap around. Try and maintain your social life, even if you’re locked at home. Message or call your friends to maintain some level of socializing and maintaining a healthy mindset.

With hopes that the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease will slow down soon, the possibility of moving to online learning is imminent. Therefore, it is better to be well informed and prepared for such a scenario. Ask your teachers if you’re unsure of anything, they’ll most likely be on-line. Maintain a consistent schedule and don’t forget to take a break every-so-often and treat yourself. After all you might be stuck at home for quite a while.