2020.02.24
HONG Kong’s publishing and cultural industry has launched an online platform to gather reading and studying materials for people who spend their time at home amid the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 920 items – including students’ studying materials and lifestyle content – were uploaded to the website www.readtogether.hk
A spokesperson for the organisers said the industry hopes to contribute to society during this difficult time, prompting some 60 publishers and related organisations to share their resources – mostly for free – on the website.
“We hope people, especially the 800,000 students whose classes are suspended, can maintain their studies at home,” he said.
The four major organisers – the Hong KongPublishing Federation (香港出版總會), Cultural Association (香港各界文化促進會), Motion Picture Industry Association (香港影業協會) and Federation of Hong Kong Sports Organisations (香港體育社團聯會) – worked on a tight schedule to create the website in a week.
The platform consists of reading and studying resources for students, in addition to learning games and counselling services.
For parents and adults, there are online fitness coaching, cooking classes, videos of performance shows and even a free 66-page e-book on proper ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
Hong Kong publishers and bookstores are losing customers while the outbreak rages on.
(This article is published on Junior Standard on 24 February 2020)
Read Together online platform
Supporting student learning at home