But @civil_servant assured us China's numbers were absolutely correct and to be trusted etc., I am utterly shocked!
Absolutely correct is you mouthstuffing. This is what I said.
https://geoexpat.com/forum/342/threa...ml#post3710311
Numbers are now being adjusted, just like death figures of deaths in Europe will be adjusted over time. It's a natural process.
In my opinion, the reopening of schools in western countries has little to do with risks and more to do with pragmatism. It's hard for parents to return to work without child care in place. The reality remains that in primary schools particularly, if a kid gets sick, it's likely to spread like wildfire and then to the parents. There's also the issue of kids with asthma and other ailments which are not uncommon. HK is in a different situation because of the preponderance of DH that can look after kids and there might also be more multi generational living situation. I don't think anyone will disagree though that online learning is far from ideal, more so the younger they are.
I don't necessarily disagree with the decision in Australia as their numbers are low and I'm happy to see that it looks like kids in HK will have their exams. Time will tell if the decision pans out and there's a bit of luck involved too. It's always easy to praise or criticize after the facts but there's no playbook for this situation and gambles need to be taken. The question is which ones and when...
I agree with the importance of having low numbers and it does seem premature in most areas but you can't throw in all of Europe and North America in one basket. There are significant differences between countries, provinces and states and it might be appropriate for some but not for others.
Long read about the biggest outbreak in the US.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877
The baltic states look pretty good in Europe. Unpopulated states like Montana and Wyoming have limited community transmission in the US but as a whole, there's no doubt that it appears premature and most have extended measures at least to the end of the month. I'm sure many will keep an eye out on Australia to see how it goes. I'm told that HK will keep the measures going for at least another week too.