School Shutdowns Make Childcare Facilities Busier
The closure of schools across Japan to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading has made childcare facilities busier.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe requested local governments to temporarily close schools from Monday until the start of the spring break in late March.
A childcare facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward opened at 8:30 a.m., five hours earlier than usual, on Monday.
Nine children showed up. They washed their hands and took their temperatures before they started their homework.
A mother in her 40s says she is glad the facility is open in the morning as teleworking is not an option for her.
The childcare facility had four additional workers on Monday. The manager, Noriko Takasaka, said they were able to find additional staff from another facility run by Koto Ward, but other daycare centers must be having a hard time finding extra workers.
Takasaka added that she and her staff will take extra care to protect the children from infections.
