All students in Ho Chi Minh City have been allowed to go back to school in early March as the COVID-19 pandemic has been put under control again in the southern metropolis.

The municipal People’s Committee on Wednesday issued a document stating that students and learners of local schools, universities, and other educational institutions will resume their normal classes on March 1.

The city’s Department of Education and Training and Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs will provide local schools with guidance on pandemic prevention and control measures.

Students who have been to virus-hit areas will be required to fill out health declaration forms.

Stern penalties will be imposed upon those failing to declare their health status or violating rules on COVID-19 prevention and control.

All students, teachers, and other staff members will have to complete online health declaration on a daily basis.

Following the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, all students were required to switch to remote learning until the end of the month due to the complicated COVID-19 developments.

The city recorded 36 community-based COVID-19 cases between February 6 and 11.

A total of 35 locations in 10 districts and Thu Duc City were sealed off to prevent the disease from spreading further into the community.

As of Tuesday afternoon, lockdown had been lifted from all of these locations.

The municipal Department of Education and Training on the same day proposed that all students be allowed to return to school on March 1.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

KARACHI: The announcement  of reopening of schools for five days a week  by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has  sparked yet another meme storm on the internet.

The minister, perhaps the most closely-followed individual on Pakistani Twitter due to the school lockdowns enforced by the government owing to the coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday signaled a return to normal after almost a year of closures or sketchy operations.

Following the announcement, the Shafqat Mahmood Twitter fan club responded with what it does best: hilarious memes.

Here’s what students are saying over the latest announcement:

In a statement issued on Twitter, the federal education minister said that all schools will go back to regular 5-day classes from Monday, March 1.

“Restrictions imposed in some major cities on schools to conduct staggered classes was only till Feb 28,” he added.

The minister said that the announcement will be applicable to all education institutes.

Students who keep a keen eye on Mahmood’s Twitter account have frequently followed his announcements with hilarious and often overblown reaction memes.

They built him up as their hero when he announced school closures, and are now calling him out for his ‘betrayal’ after he’s made clear it’s time for students to get back to their studies.

‘Cheated’ university students are demanding refunds after the government announced campuses would stay shut until after Easter.

Downing Street has failed to offer a concrete date for when most university students will return to campuses, although it vowed to make a decision by the end of the Easter holidays.

Youngsters are fuming about wasting thousands of pounds on accommodation and university facilities they cannot even use.

Students are also desperate for the government to reopen nightclubs as most first years have never enjoyed a ‘big night out’.

Monica Grant, 20, who is studying education at the University of Bristol, told The Mirror: “I feel a bit cheated.

“I’m not saying it’s been completely horrible but I am wasting my money.

“I feel like we should be owed money back. It’s not the full experience on Zoom. It’s been a year since everything was normal.

Does this story affect you? Email [email protected]

“For the past two months I’ve been paying rent for a house I’m not using as I’ve been at home with my parents.

“At the beginning I was wondering should I got back but the guidelines say to stay at home. I thought it wasn’t worth it.”

She said the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on youngsters’ social lives, pointing out that her brother – who turned 18 in August – has yet to go to a nightclub because of the restrictions.

Although she misses “big nights out”, it is the little things like studying and shopping with her pals that Monica really wants back.

She is also upset she has not been able to develop the friendships she made last year.

The aspiring teacher added that while her Zoom classes are good and she admires how her course has coped with the pandemic, she is frustrated at not having access to the university’s libraries and other facilities.

Her university’s Students’ Union is currently being used as a Covid testing centre.

Monica says the government’s plan for students to return after Easter is unfair.

The second-year student questioned why school pupils are being allowed to return while undergraduates are not.

The 20-year-old pointed out that on courses such as hers there are only around 30 people in a lecture hall, which is bigger than a classroom.

Despite her disappointment about the government’s announcement, she says she is still excited to leave her parents’ home in Surrey and return to Bristol after Easter.

She anticipates a huge blowout when restrictions are completely lifted in June, when some first-year students will experience nightclubs for the very first time.

Ellie Bedding, 21, who studies law at Nottingham Trent University, was also upset about university students not being allowed back until after Easter.

She told The Mirror: “It just shows we have really been neglected and taken for granted.

“Easter is too late, rent tenancies run out anytime from mid June, does that mean we have paid for 10 months of rent when we have only legally allowed to live there for possibly three?

“It’s disgusting and it upsets me how much students have been pushed back and left to get on with it.

“The main thing I’ve missed out on is just having that uni experience everybody expects to have.

“I’ve missed out on gigs I’ve planned, my 21st birthday and just being able to see and hug people without feeling like a criminal.

“A lot of people have really missed out on a lot of first experiences – whether that be driving, legally going out drinking and even graduating.”

Ellie added that the pandemic has ruined nights out at university.

She said: “Even when the tiers allowed clubs to open with tables, it just isn’t the same – you couldn’t socialise and you were constantly reminded about Covid and what was going on outside.”

The third-year student is also paying rent for a property she is not using.

She told The Mirror: “I came back to uni the day before the lockdown was announced and unknowingly brought Covid back with me.

“I suffered with it really badly due to the mould in my uni room. When my isolation period had finished, I had to have my family come and pick me up because I was told I couldn’t recover in a mouldy room.

“On the basis of medical reasons I came home and I’ve yet to return. I have now wasted around £1,500 in rent and this is just going to keep accumulating!”

She claims her landlord has refused to offer her any rent deductions, despite her ordeal.

Despite her frustration, Ellie said she was aware her missed university experiences could be ‘rearranged and relived’ at a later date.

Another student told The Mirror she had spent around £2,300 on rent since the start of her course in October but has only been able to stay in the house for seven nights.

In a tweet directed at Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, she said: “So you’re going to review uni students going back during the Easter hols and give us a week notice?

“Not sure if you’re aware Gav but there’s only 1 week of teaching for unis after Easter. Refund me please.”

She added: “The course i signed up for, the course I am paying for and the course I’ve been delivered are not the same thing and universities across the country. As such, we are entitled to a refund.”

Responding to the students’ concerns, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: “From the very start of this pandemic, our priority has been protecting the education and wellbeing of our students, so that they can continue with their studies and graduate as planned.

“We must take steps to help mitigate and reduce transmission around the country, which is why we are implementing a staggered return to in-person teaching.

“Students on practical and creative courses, who need to access specialist facilities and equipment, should go back from the 8 March, and we will review options for the timing of the return of all remaining students by the end of the Easter holidays, taking into account the latest set of data.

“We are clear that the quality and quantity of tuition for these students should not drop.

“I recognise that this has been an incredibly difficult time for students which is why we have made £70m of funding available this financial year for students in the greatest need, such as those struggling to cover accommodation costs.

“This is on top of an existing £256 million that universities can draw on to support those who need it the most.”

Supermarket shelves in Texas have been left empty as the weather crisis in the state hits supply chains.

An unprecedented storm swept the southern U.S. states last week, leading to icy roads, traffic deaths , frozen pipes and circumstances most southerners have never seen in their lifetime .

Millions of people were also left without power and reliable water as cold temperatures increased demand but hit supply.

Now Texans are facing food shortages after stores had to throw out refrigerated items due to days of power outages and some began panic shopping.

The cold weather also hit the supply chain with fruit and vegetable crops in the Rio Grande Valley freezing in what The Produce News described as a “Valentine’s Day produce massacre.”

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued a “red alert” due to the storm hitting agriculture and food supplies in the state, saying: “We’re looking at a food supply chain problem like we’ve never seen before, even with COVID-19.”

He said dairy farmers have been throwing away $8 million worth of milk every day because they can’t get it to dairies.

Miller added: “I’m getting calls from farmers and ranchers across the state reporting that the interruptions in electricity and natural gas are having a devastating effect on their operations.”

Meanwhile, school districts across the state have halted meal distributions to students for the next several days.

Photos shared on social media show empty supermarket shelves while Facebook users have been sharing information on where people can still find staples.

Kris Carmona wrote: “HEB on Grissom and Tezel doesn’t have everything back but does have a descent selection to get you through until the stores are restocked. We found eggs, milk, bread, fresh meats, chicken etc.”

Cindy Marie also commented: “Couldn’t find water at Walmart or HEB but found at Circle K. No eggs no milk no meats anywhere. Luckily, I still had Bread flour leftover from the lockdown so was able to make a loaf of bread at home.”

Carol Bannworth said: “Boerne didn’t have milk or bread, but we were able to find a good supply of other items,” and Magali Velaquez said: “Anyone know where I can buy bottled water? I’ve gone to Walmart, heb and other places and I cant find any – new braunfels area.”

Cristal Porter, from Austin, told the Texas Tribune about the situation at her local Target: “It was out of meat, eggs and almost all milk before I left. Lines were wrapped around the store when we arrived. … Shelves were almost fully cleared for potatoes, meat, eggs and some dairy.”

In Focus

texas winter storm

People wait in line to enter Fiesta supermarket on February 16, 2021 in Houston, Texas.

Launch Slideshow 3 PHOTOS

Porter said that two days later one of her neighbors went to the same Target and found the store entirely out of food with no sign of additional shipments arriving or employees restocking shelves.

She said she has been using a camping stove to make hot meals since losing power, while others have resorted to heating their food in the fireplace.

The crisis has also hit food banks in the state which have asked lawmakers for support to feed the communities, according to the hunger-relief organization Feeding Texas.

In a statement, the organization said: “The Food Bank’s fleet, equipment, facilities and operations have been adversely impacted by the extremely low temperatures, and hazardous road conditions are hindering our staff and volunteers from getting to our building safely. These conditions are also keeping us from distributing food safely.”