Students resume classes in Shanghai

Students in the final year of senior and junior high schools in Shanghai resumed classes on campus on Monday.

The students, who have been away from school since mid-January, will sit for their entrance exams to senior high schools and colleges in late June and early July respectively.

Although there has not been a local transmission case of COVID-19 in Shanghai for nearly two months, schools have still mandated that students and teachers must have their temperatures measured and sanitize their hands upon arrival. Each person must also wear a mask throughout the day, except during mealtimes.

A total of 102 final year students at the No 1 Junior Middle School Affiliated with East China Normal University resumed school on Monday. Teachers said that as there are less than 20 students in each of the six classes, social distancing rules can be easily followed.

Only one class is allowed to have physical education lessons at a time on the playground, the school in Hongkou district said.

Xia Jing, a student from the school, said that she has been attending online lessons for the past two months so she feels fully prepared for the reopening of school.

"Even though we have strict health standards and epidemic control measures, the school has not placed too many posters regarding contagion control on the walls as we want to make students feel relaxed when returning to the school," said Wang Sui, vice president of the school.

The first class for the students who resumed school today was about psychological health in the context of the pandemic, according to the arrangement made by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.

Wang said: "Through the online lessons in the past two weeks, the teachers and students have had many discussions about heart-warming incidents related to the novel coronavirus outbreak."

More students will resume offline classes in school in the coming weeks, except for students of Grades 1 to 3 and kindergarteners, according the city's education commission.