Pity the children: Hong Kong counts the cost of months of virtual lessons amid the Covid pandemic, with no time to play, make friends

Hong Kong housewife Janice Lau is worried that the Covid-19 pandemic not only disrupted her children’s school life, but also affected their development as they lost out on interacting with classmates and playing with friends.

Her daughter Sophie, 10, who is in Primary Five, and son Matthew, six, in Primary One, attended only half-day classes or online lessons after the pandemic broke out in early 2020.