French virus surge threatens nationwide back-to-school plan

Not absolutely all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the country's education minister acknowledged Sunday, as a persistent rise in coronavirus infections jeopardizes the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million schoolchildren back to class this week.

Like many governments around the world, France and Britain want to reopen schools starting Tuesday to reduce the training gaps between rich and poor students which were worsened by the virus lockdown this spring, and to get parents back again to work and revive the ailing economy.

With thousands of new infections now reported in France every day, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that some classes will remain closed when the nationwide reopening commences Tuesday, but “only possible.”

With less than 48 hours to go before the first French school bells ring, he said openings and closures were “being decided by a day-by-day analysis based on the health situation of each territory.”

French doctors published an appeal Saturday saying that the government's anti-virus measures for schools aren’t strict enough. They urged masks for children as young as six and a variety of online and in-person schooling.

Currently French schools are set to resume largely as normal, but with masks required all day long for everybody 11 and over plus some restrictions on movements and gatherings. In contrast, other Europe like Denmark and several school districts in the U.S. are undergoing a complete school day revamp which includes smaller classes, more teachers, more separation between students and classes and a variety of in-class and online learning.

Teacher Cécile Cluchier is bracing to handle the challenges in her preschool in the Paris suburb of Antony.

“Let's not fool ourselves," she said. "We realize that with 25 pupils, we won’t continually be able to monitor all of them," and make certain that every youngster washes their hands constantly and keeps a proper distance from others.

She also wonders how she'll manage to teach early language skills and defuse tensions with her face hidden behind a mask.

“In preschool and in this underprivileged area, welcoming kids properly is important,” she said. “However now, they can’t see my smile.”

France reported 5,453 new daily infections Saturday, in comparison to several hundred a day in-may and June. The national health service says the growth of COVID-19 cases is currently exponential, and neighboring countries have imposed quarantines or testing requirements for people coming in from France.

The infections are also threatening the Tour de France, which kicked off Saturday amid unprecedented restrictions and worries that the world's premier cycling event won't make it to the finish line in Paris in three weeks if the virus keeps spreading so fast.

In Britain, officials sought Sunday to reassure parents that schools can safely reopen. In an open letter, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson stressed the value of experiencing all children back in classrooms for the brand new school year.

“If a child isn't in school, they stand to reduce far more than simply a couple of months of learning. It could well put a huge dent within their future life chances,” he said.

Meanwhile, the University and College Union, which represents academic staff in Britain, warned Sunday that the movement of an expected 1 million school students has they go back to universities in the coming weeks could spark “a public health crisis.”

Union general secretary Jo Grady told the BBC that thousands of students will be coming to cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester - cities that contain recently seen increased restrictions due to a spike in coronavirus cases.

“The very people who are increasingly getting infected by this virus are being encouraged in mass numbers to go all over the country and congregate and live together,” she said.

The union wants college or university students in order to avoid campuses and face-to-face teaching until at least Christmas, unless a robust testing plan is set up.

Britain's Conservative government has been sharply criticized because of its handling of the virus, which has left the united states with Europe's highest confirmed virus toll of practically 41,600 dead. France gets the continent's third-highest death toll at over 30,600. Experts say all confirmed figures understate the real toll of the pandemic because of limited testing and other factors.

In Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, the only state to have required students in secondary schools to wear face masks during lessons, is ending that practice Tuesday. Students will still need to wear masks at school beyond class.