Some 2,800,000 students, preschoolers begin 2020-2021 school year amidst pandemic

Approximately 2,800,000 students and preschoolers begin classes in the new school year today under special circumstances given the COVID-19 pandemic, some of them learning remotely, others in a hybrid system or in-person learning.

According to Education Minister Monica Anisie, 12,423 schools will operate under a green scenario, 4,915 under a yellow scenario and 263 under a red scenario.

The epidemiological criterion based on which the schools have opted for one of the three scenarios was cumulative incidence, namely the total number of new cases in the last 14 days against 1,000 inhabitants.

Green scenario (0 - 1 cases) - daily participation of all preschoolers and students in schools, in compliance with and application of all protection rules; yellow scenario (1 - 3 cases) - daily participation of all preschoolers and primary students, of the students 8th to 12th grades, with the observance and application of all the rules of protection and partial return (by rotation of 1-2 weeks) of the secondary and high school students in compliance with and following all the protection rules.

Red scenario (3 - 50 cases) - the participation of all preschoolers and students in remote instruction.