Children across Europe are returning to school this week, but the reopening of classrooms after months of lockdown has already highlighted some issues. Here’s how various countries are planning to welcome children back:
- In France, schools will open nationwide on Tuesday for almost 13 million young people, despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. Masks will be required for everyone aged over 11 – including teachers
- In Germany, where schools in some areas have been reopening over the past three weeks, parents have complained that children are being packed too tightly into school buses
- Meanwhile, Spain is planning to reopen most of its schools on Tuesday. Masks will be mandatory for those over the age of six and staff and children will have their temperatures taken before the day begins. Some schools have even created makeshift classrooms outside to increase space
- But in Turkey, the new term will begin today in slightly different circumstances. Students there will learn remotely using a dedicated online platform. Face-to-face teaching will begin on 21 September but there are reports this may be postponed further
Read more: How are other countries getting children back to class?
Turkey’s top diplomat attended the G20 Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs via a video link.
“At the meeting, we discussed steps to be taken during the new normal in the global fight against the pandemic,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu on Twitter following the video conference on Thursday.
“We focused on border management and crossings,” he added.
Cavusoglu also shared Turkey’s successful practices, Safe Tourism Certification Program in particular, to stem the spread of the virus, in the meeting.
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Joe Biden visited Kenosha, Wis., a city marked by social unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The Democratic presidential candidate met with Blake’s family and talked with community leaders about the fight for racial justice. Photo: Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
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Mr. Biden visited the embattled city and Mr. Blake’s family Thursday as a series of violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement across the nation have emerged as a flashpoint in the 2020 election, prompting a fresh debate between the former vice president…
Economists anticipate a full-year recession amid an outflow of foreign investment
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Turkey’s output shrank 9.9% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, and 11% compared with the first quarter of 2020, the national statistical agency said on Monday. Turkey suffered from the near paralysis of global air travel, which left its resorts starved for tourists,…