A midwives group in Japan has been offering free online parenting lectures to expectant mothers and their spouses to ease concern amid the cancellation of face-to-face classes due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The online classes, which substitute for lectures usually provided by local health authorities, will be available until April 19. The midwives group, Josanshi Online, started offering the service after pregnant women contacted it expressing concerns about contracting the virus and going for hospital checkups during the pandemic.
"Expectant mothers are more anxious than usual," said Kanako Sugiura, 35, representative of the group based in Aichi Prefecture that runs the online advice platform.