With the steady increase of COVID-19 cases, people are starting to self-quarantine, and the majority of public places are closing in order to stop the spread of the virus. One of the many public places affected by the virus is schools. Many schools in countries across the globe have closed their campuses in order to keep the virus from spreading to the students, faculty and staff. 

According to edweek.org, “School closures due to coronavirus have impacted at least 124,000 U.S. public and private schools and have affected at least 55.1 milion students.” According to the map on their article, there are around 30 states that have closed schools into April, while some states, like Utah and North Carolina, have closed school into the month of May. The states of California, New Jersey and North Dakota have gone as far as canceling school until further notice. Oklahoma, Kansas and Virginia are the only states that have closed school for the remainder of the academic year.

According to the United States Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), “Over 160 countries have implemented nationwide closures, impacting over 87% of world’s student population.” As of recent, there are 1,524,648,768 learners across the globe that are affected. In many smaller countries like “Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela” there is no information available about enrollment in any tertiary educational programs. However, in China schools are very slowly starting to open back up again, but the majority still remain closed.

Image courtesy of the CDC.