Parents struggle to look after children after schools announce early Tet Holiday
"If the situation worsened or our jobs are affected then we will alternatively take leaves from work to stay home," she said.
Tran Ngoc Minh who works at a media firm in Phu Nhuan District said their home helper had just taken a leave to return to her hometown the day before. Her workplace isn’t suitable for children.
"I still don't know what to do. My husband is a soldier and he is not home right now. If it can't be helped, I'll take a leave from work to take care of my children," she said.
Meanwhile, Pham Thi Anh have decided to bring her child to an uncle who lives across the city every day before going to her workplace in Tan Binh District.
This time, families in apartment buildings can't allow children to gather together and take turns looking after them because everyone is busy at the year-end or preparing to return to their hometowns. Thu Nga, a resident in Thu Duc City, said, "We used to bring our children to a neighbour who owns an online shop. But she has just left HCM City today due to fears of a lockdown."
Families with more than one child let the older siblings look after the rest and leave them with TVs and tablets.
On February 1, HCM City People's Committee announced that all students in the city would be allowed to stay home from February 2 for Covid-19 prevention due to the current complicated development. Many other cities and provinces have also let students stay home and start the Tet Holiday early.
