Photos: Europe’s children return to school for the first time amid Covid-19

Children across Europe returned to school for the first time since the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak forced several institutions across the globe to shut doors in a bid to control the spread of the disease. Hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time will become the new normal as countries across Europe seek ways to get children back into classrooms safely. But rising infection rates, an autumn flu season and excess mortality in winter have raised questions on the timing of the reopening of schools in Europe.

Updated on: Sep 02, 2020 11:44 AM IST

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A teacher wearing a face mask speaks to pupils inside a classroom in Brequigny High School in Rennes, France on September 1. Tens of millions of pupils returned to school in France, Spain and Russia on September 1, their rucksacks loaded with exercise books, geometry sets and, for many, face masks to protect them from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic. (Damien Meyer / AFP)

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Secondary school students play in the courtyard at the College Henri Matisse school in Nice, France on September 1. The students return at a time when infections rates are spiralling upwards across the continent and there are widespread concerns that the return to schools and offices, the autumn flu season and excess mortality in winter could drive a second wave. (Eric Gaillard / REUTERS)

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A secondary school student carries a pouch to protect her protective face mask at the College Henri Matisse school in Nice, France on September 1. In France, Spain and elsewhere, some parents and teachers’ unions have voiced concern at plans for reopening classrooms as the spread of the virus gathers renewed pace. (Eric Gaillard / REUTERS)

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Teachers attend a safety briefing at the Miguel de Cervantes school ahead of its reopening for a new academic year in Sevilla, Spain on September 1. Spain’s 17 regions are responsible for their own back-to-school plan, though they must follow national regulations such as mandatory masks for children over six, Reuters reported. (Jorge Guerrero / AFP)

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Children, some wearing face masks, wash their hands at the Clement Falcucci elementary school in Toulouse, France on September 1. According to UNESCO, at the height of coronavirus lockdowns globally in April, some 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures. School closures widened the inequality gap, experts have said, reported Reuters. (Lionel Bonaventure / AFP)

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Relatives watch from behind a fence as first graders attend a ceremony marking the start of the new academic year in Moscow, Russia on September 1. Pupils returned to school in Russia as the country’s coronavirus case tally climbed past 1 million. (Evgenia Novozhenina / REUTERS)

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Students arrive to sit for remaining school exams ahead of its reopening for a new academic year in Sevilla, Spain on September 1. According to epidemiologists, the risk of coronavirus transmission within schools depends on what is happening in the local community as well as the safety measures put in place, Reuters reported. (Cristina Quicler / AFP)

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A girl wearing a face mask attends a classroom in Brequigny high school in Rennes, France on September 1. Global data on the spread of the coronavirus pandemic shows that children and young people make up only 1-2% of cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Most reported infections in children are mild or asymptomatic, with fewer recorded deaths, Reuters reported. (Damien Meyer / AFP)