Beijing [China], December 20 : As China freezes with snowfall and cold breezes, multiple cities in East China's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces suspended schools on Tuesday as a precautionary measure to prioritise the safety of students and teachers, as reported by Global Times.
Cities including Jiangsu's Nanjing, Changzhou and Zhenjiang, as well as Anhui's Lu'an, Wuhu and Chuzhou, have suspended classes or implemented flexible school hours to reduce the risk and transportation pressure caused by the cold weather.
Moreover, all primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, vocational and technician schools in Changzhou were closed on Tuesday due to the cold weather.
However, parents can apply for in-school care services if needed, and the schools will coordinate and arrange for care services, according to the Changzhou education authority.
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, has further implemented flexible school hours from Tuesday to Friday, reported Global Times.
"Students who don't meet the conditions for attending school can choose not to come to school, while other students can arrive late or leave early according to their actual situation," the Nanjing education authority said.
Several parents from Anhui confirmed that local schools suspended classes on Tuesday due to the snowy weather, according to Global Times.
"The teachers held classes online and gave homework to the children to complete at home. We totally understand the decision as the weather poses transportation as well as safety risks," Zhang, a parent of a primary school student from Anhui's Wuhu, said on Tuesday.
Since Sunday night, the regions along the south of the Huaihe River have seen moderate to heavy snowfall, with some parts experiencing blizzards.
As of 8 am on Tuesday, a total of 43 cities and counties within Anhui Province had accumulated one to nine centimetres of snow, reported Global Times.
Moreover, another cold air front is likely to affect the province from Tuesday night to Thursday, the Anhui provincial meteorological bureau said in a notice issued on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, to enhance safety, an additional work team has been dispatched to Anhui to guide the prevention of and response to disasters from rain, snow and freezing conditions, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The initiative was taken as part of requirements for increased efforts in enhancing monitoring, forecasting, and issuing alerts to the public in a timely manner, reported Global Times.
Reportedly, Jiangsu provincial education authorities issued a notice on strengthening prevention and response to low-temperature rain, snow, and ice disasters earlier on Sunday.
Further, it stipulated the need to enhance risk prevention for outdoor group activities and suspend teaching and outdoor activities if required.
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