Poland may reopen schools in September despite coronavirus spike

The Polish government intends to fully reopen schools on September 1, Education Minister Dariusz Piontkowski said on Wednesday, despite a recent renewed spike in coronavirus infections. Cases started rising after restrictions on public gatherings were eased. On Tuesday, authorities reported the fourth record daily increase in a week, with 680 new infections.

Poland, a nation of 38 million people, had recorded a total of 48,789 cases and 1,756 deaths as of Wednesday, Reuters reports.

“We want students to come back to normal education in schools from September,” Piontkowski said.

The ministry will impose strict hygiene and safety rules for schools, as well as criteria under which some schools could switch to online or a mix of online and in-class tuition in the event of of local infection spikes.