After a seven-month break caused by the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the consequent shutdown of the Valley, students returned to school on February 24. Peerzada Ashiq reports on their stuggle to catch up just before schools closed again in the face of the novel coronavirus threat

Homework delivered via WhatsApp. "Minecraft" and Netflix instead of lectures and gym classes. Refrigerators as blackboards, harried parents, bored children _ and no end in sight to what one 7-year-old calls a "nightmare."

When stress is heightened — which it is for all of us right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic — children become aware of it and they try to locate the source of the stress. It is important to both acknowledge their concerns and be open to discussing them.

"For a single parent like me, this centre is an absolute lifeline."

Experts warn it could be counterproductive to close schools because interim childcare provisions, such as NHS workers staying home to care for their children or grandparents being asked to step in, could leave more people exposed

'We're headed to the Hamptons with my whiskey and Lysol wipes,' says Julie Macklowe, resident of the Upper East Side