With the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in China dwindling in recent weeks, the rate of resumption of work has also inched up gradually, but the commencement date of the new semester for most schools has yet to be determined.

The father of a high-school sophomore in Wuhan – the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic – told CGTN that in the first few weeks the daily rhythms of his family life were disrupted by not only working from home but also looking over his son's schoolwork. The father, surnamed Yuan, said that the whole family has been actively adapting to the new routine.

The biggest obstacle now is for Yuan and his wife to have sufficient equipment to work from home. Yuan works for a state-owned engineering company and his wife works for a bank.

"Most of my working materials are locked in my office. The lockdown in Wuhan happened so quickly and suddenly, we never have thought of bringing anything home, and now no one is allowed to come back to the office buildings."

"But we have to prioritize the needs of our son," Yuan stressed, adding that "only when he has a break at night, my wife and I can have access to the only computer at home to catch up with some work."

Compared with the unanticipated suspension the SARS created 17 years ago in China, when students could only roam at home for over a month, today's standard students can use internet platforms to listen to live stream classes and submit online assignments.

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When asked if online courses or good or not, Yuan gave a definite answer, "with my child glued to screens more hours per day than usual, sometimes I worry about he zoning out. So far, there is no way to measure the efficiency of this new educational format."

"Face-to-face learning would be preferred instead of going virtually," Yuan said, adding that a student's learning is not just about books and academics. "I still hope he can go back to school soon, as the grueling college entrance exams require preparation in advance," said Yuan, 

Yuan is by no means alone, the same applies to other parents. Millions of Chinese students have been stranded at home and attended online courses since the middle of February amid the postponement of school semesters over the virus outbreak.

It is also important, however, to recognize that parents are not equally prepared to protect and give their children what's necessary in these times. The price is higher for poor children and poor families when it comes to adapting to the new routine after such drastic changes because of the coronavirus school closure.

Closing schools is a measure that has proven to be successful. Implemented in China and now many other countries, it significantly slows the spread of the virus, and in turn, saves lives. But it also cast a huge economic and social disruption to millions of disadvantaged families. 

CGTN learned from a public school in northeast China's Liaoning Province, that most of the students are from disadvantage families, and parents are migrant workers whose livelihood has been particularly hit during the lockdown. The coronavirus school closure disrupted the distribution of free or subsidized lunches for these children, a program in which many families rely on.

According to headteacher Ma, who also teaches English for the class, during school days, students can count on the school cafeterias for nutrition-balanced lunch and dinner for a total of over ten yuan, which is about over two U.S. dollars a day.

In China, schools play a critical role in meeting the nutritional needs of poor children. According to the State Council's "Rural Compulsory Education Student Nutrition Improvement Program," food-insecure families from at least 680 poverty concentrated areas – 23 million primary and secondary school students – rely on free or discounted lunches provided by the school.

Now that schools are closed for over four weeks and it will likely be prolonged, parents are being urged to prepare for the possibility that their children may be home for protracted periods. Children rely more on working parents to feed them and take care of them.

In Ma's class, there is a girl whose parents are farmers living in a rural area, so she is mostly depend on her grandparents to take care of her in the city where her school is located. Sequelae of polio that she suffered when she was young, made her left hand significantly thinner than the right hand and she requires intensive daily care.

During the talk with her family, Ma learned that the girl's grandfather is a butcher at the market and her grandmother is a cleaner in another school. The family is struggling to take care of the girl and provide for the family with less income under the economic slowdown. 

Ma found it was extremely difficult to reach out to the students on all levels during this time.

"I assume her family must need financial support under the circumstances, so I asked for their permission to fill up a student subsidy application for the school.," Ma told CGTN, adding that she refused. "The students all have much too strong a sense of pride and self-esteem."

On one listening report, Ma showed CGTN on March 16, in her class of 63 students, 12 didn't show up for the English class. With numerous problems like poor internet connections and low phone resolution, only nine of them finished the 40 minutes class.

Meanwhile, Yuan speaks highly of his son with extra optimism, saying he has adjusted perfectly to this new routine. "As a matter of fact, the disaster has offered him an opportunity to learn valuable lessons outside the classroom," and prepared him to confront the real challenges in the society in the future."

(All names are alias under the requests of the interviewees.)