As families worldwide send their children back to school, one region stands out regarding the mood of both students and parents. Families in East Asia face the new academic year with more calm and less fear about the pandemic disrupting education than most other regions. Importantly, most kids here prepared to attend school in person, gaining the full benefit of face-to-face teaching and socialising. The possibility of an outbreak does not worry most families here because occasional outbreaks are met with the swift, effective isolation, imposing quarantine until the outbreak subsides. Contrast this against the “back to school” season in...