Japan is closing all of its schools to prevent the spread of coronavirus, forcing parents to take time off work

Jae C. Hong/AP photo

A man wearing a mask visits a beach as snow-capped Mount Fuji is visible in the distance in Fujisawa, Japan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.

• All schools in Japan will close for more than a month as the country battles the spread of coronavirus.
• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement Thursday when the number of confirmed cases crept toward 900.
• Elementary, junior high, and high schools will close Monday through the students' spring break, which typically ends in early April.
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Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked all elementary, junior high and high schools in the country to close from Monday through the students' spring break, which typically ends in early April, according to Japan Times.

The announcement on Thursday came as the number of COVID-19 patients in the country rose above 200, and that doesn't include the more than 700 infected patients related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. In total there have been around 890 reported cases, according to Associated Press.

"Efforts have been made to prevent the spread of infection among children in each region, and these one or two weeks will be an extremely critical period," Abe said, according to the Japan Times. "The government attaches the top priority to the health and safety of children, among others."

The nationwide measure affects 12.8 million students at 34,847 schools nationwide, the education ministry said, according to the Associated Press.

Most of the 1,600 elementary and junior high schools in Hokkaido decided to close for a week after 50 infections were confirmed in the prefecture.

The order to close every school in the nation is expected to strike a blow to Japan's economy, which is "already on the bring of recession" as parents are forced to take time off from work to care for their children, according to The Financial Times.

Some schools had already made the decision to close due to concerns over the virus.

Ochanomizu University in Tokyo had previously said it will close affiliated schools from Friday for about a month and the Kanagawa government decided to exclude parents and guardians from attending graduation and entrance ceremonies.

The coronavirus has already killed 2,800 people and infected more than 82,000. Though most of the cases are in mainland China, at least 40 other countries have recorded cases and deaths.

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