France returns to school without distance

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France is preparing to go back to school on September 1 with a less strict health protocol than that applied in May and June due to the Covid-19 pandemic : without physical distancing between students and with a mandatory mask from the age of 11. The objective: to guarantee the return of all students in September.

Unlike other countries that preferred to wait until September for the return to classes or that will not do so until January 2021, France opened the schools on May 12, coinciding with the start of the de-escalation after two months of confinement by the epidemic.

The return to school was then done in a staggered manner and had a voluntary nature. Many French parents preferred that their children continue with the online classes for fear that they could get coronavirus.

May's sanitary protocol was strict: points on the floor for the row, physical spacing of four square meters per student; hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance of the school; class disinfection; shifts to go to class on alternate days; a maximum of 10 children per classroom in kindergartens and 15 in kindergartens and primary schools; and no games or physical contact between students at recess . The mask was mandatory in high school.

In June, the sanitary protocol was lightened a bit in order to be able to welcome the maximum number of students in the classrooms, since the Government decreed a mandatory return to school. Instead of maintaining a distance of four square meters per student, the physical distance became one lateral meter of separation between students and the rule of 15 students maximum per class was abolished in primary school.

With the return to classrooms in September, the sanitary protocol will be further lightened. The return to school will be marked by the end of the rule of physical distancing and by the mandatory use of the mask from the age of 11. "In closed spaces [classrooms, workshops, libraries, dining rooms, canteens, boarding schools, etc.], physical distancing is no longer compulsory when it is not materially possible or does not allow all students to be accommodated," according to the new health protocol published by the French Ministry of Education. In any case, the interior spaces will be organized to maintain "the greatest possible distance between the students." In the outdoor spaces , the mandatory physical distancing rule will not apply from September .

As it happened in May and June, in September it is forbidden to wear a mask for kindergarten students and it is not recommended for primary school students. Students over 11 years old should wear it "in closed and outdoor spaces during their trips, as well as in class when the distance of one meter cannot be guaranteed and they are facing each other or next to each other ", according to the new protocol.

Preschool teachers are not required to wear a mask when teaching. Primary and secondary teachers have to carry it when it is not possible to maintain a distance of at least one meter with the students. In May and June, the mixing of classes and student groups was limited to prevent the spread of the virus . As of September, this limitation will cease to apply, although the Ministry asks that the school day and school activities be organized to "limit, as far as possible, the regrouping and important crossings" of students. And it advises that the entrances and exits be staggered to avoid as much as possible the concentrations of students or parents .

Another novelty: the rules at recess will also be less strict than in May and June. Access to swings, benches and outdoor collective spaces will be authorized.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• France
• Covid 19
• Coronavirus

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