As Covid spreads throughout China, Shanghai schools will go online.

Shanghai, the biggest city in China, has mandated that the majority of its schools offer online courses as the number of Covid cases rises.

According to Shanghai's education administration, nurseries and daycare facilities will also be closed starting on Monday.

Chinese authorities loosened restrictions earlier this month in response to a wave of demonstrations against China's zero-Covid plan.

However, the relaxation of rigorous lockdown regulations has raised more and more worries about the spread of Covid in China.

It has been challenging to determine the exact extent of the virus's distribution due to significant modifications in the nation's Covid testing and reporting procedures.

However, with temporary health clinics and intensive care facilities being built up all throughout the nation, hospitals and medical facilities are under increasing demand.

230,000 additional hospital beds have reportedly been made available in Shanghai.

Due to staff illness, some local schools have already suspended in-person instruction.

Shanghai's education department stated on Saturday that the majority of year groups in elementary and secondary schools would switch to online learning starting on Monday. The announcement was made on the Chinese social media platform WeChat.

Children and students who lack other childcare options might apply to attend school.

According to the statement, the actions were taken in accordance with current coronavirus prevention procedures in order to safeguard the health of teachers and pupils.

As a result of the decision, schools in the nation's financial center will be closed for in-person instruction until the end of the current term on January 18, when the Lunar New Year holiday will begin.

Chinese social media users who agreed that it was best for students to stay at home praised the choice. Others criticized the effectiveness of online learning in comparison to face-to-face instruction and the additional demands it places on working parents.

As a result of the government's decision to abandon its zero-Covid strategy, there has been an increase in self-reported cases across the nation. Many cities are now eerily quiet as a result of the large number of people isolating at home, either because they are ill with Covid or are attempting to avoid becoming infected, according to Celia Hatton of the BBC.

There are worries that China's healthcare system won't be able to handle a sudden influx of patients, especially since Covid is spreading among the elderly, many of whom haven't received all of their vaccinations.