HONG KONG – Hong Kong's Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung announced on Tuesday that schools in the city will resume classes on April 20 at the earliest in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

READ MORE: HK further postpones reopening of schools, public services

Yeung suggested schools continue to teach online as the specific date of class resumption is yet to be decided.

Written tests for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination will begin on March 27 as scheduled, while music, physical education and oral Chinese tests will be postponed to May

Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens, have not opened since closing for the Lunar New Year holiday in January as infections caused by the novel coronavirus continued to spread.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Yeung also said written tests for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination will begin on March 27 as scheduled, while music, physical education and oral Chinese tests will be postponed to May. Release of examination results will be delayed until July 15.

All candidates will be required to wear face masks while taking the exams. They will be provided one face mask each on each day of the examination.

Yeung also said that the pledged subsidy for each kindergarten, primary and secondary school student will be increased by HK$1,000 to HK$3,500 this year.

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So Kwok-sang, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, said no arrangement will be made to sit the HKDSE in the Chinese mainland.

He urged cross-border students to come to Hong Kong at least two weeks before the examination starts in order to fulfill the requirement for mandatory quarantine.

So also announced that the Territory-wide System Assessment to test the aptitude of Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three students will be suspended.

Gu Mengyan contributes to this report