More students in Romania return in-person classes as authorities ease COVID restrictions

More preschoolers and students in Romania can return to in-person learning as of Monday, November 22, after the authorities eased the COVID-19 safety rules for schools.

Educational units located in cities, towns or communes with COVID incidence rates below 3 per thousand can now hold in-person classes, regardless of their vaccination rates, according to a decision of the Ministry of Education quoted by News.ro. So far, schools were allowed to hold physical classes only if at least 60% of their staff was vaccinated.

The Education Ministry said that more than 16,100 educational units across the country opened for in-person learning on Monday for over 2.6 million students. Another 1,792 schools continue to hold their classes online. A complete list is available here.

The 2021-2022 school year started on September 13, but not all children went to school. Moreover, all students had a two-week break about a month ago, as the authorities tried to curb the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit Romania stronger than ever before amid low vaccination rates. The second semester is scheduled to start on January 17, 2022, after the winter break, while the summer break will begin on June 11.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Virgil Simonescu)