Health

Back to school: bicycles, social distancing and hygiene

By Imane Rachidi

The Hague, Jun 13 (efe-epa).- Primary school pupils have returned to the classroom in the Netherlands with fewer Covid-19 protocols than their older counterparts.

Strict measures were required for high school students but the Dutch government did not impose such rigid restrictions when primary school pupils went back to class last week.

Secondary age children resumed in-person studies on 2 June two months after they were suspended due to the pandemic.

Authorities did not impose strict rules for children under the age of 12 when they went back to school on 8 June, with hygiene measures applied instead to parents and teachers.

Teachers have to ensure that pupils wash their hands frequently for about 20 seconds and they have to stay in designated groups in the playground, which has seen many schools staggering break times.

Parents are not allowed to enter the building when dropping off or collecting their children and have to do so at the school gate instead.

Primary and special education schools have to maintain a distance of at least one and a half meters between teachers and students whenever possible.

Masks are only mandatory on public transport in the Netherlands.

There are stricter protocols for secondary students, who are also required to maintain a distance of one and a half meters between themselves and teachers.

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