Poland plans to fully reopen schools in September despite COVID-19 spike

Poland intends to fully reopen its schools on Sept. 1, the education minister said on Wednesday, despite a recent renewed spike in coronavirus infections.

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

He said the ministry would 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 instruction in case of local infection spikes.

Wearing masks in classes would not be mandatory.

“We are not planning to limit the number of students in class. If there is an epidemic threat, the headmaster may adopt a solution where the number is limited or some students come to school and others learn online,” Piontkowski added.