Finland Reopens Schools Despite COVID-19 Warnings From Teachers’ Union

Finnish school children began returning to class on Thursday after eight weeks of coronavirus lockdown despite warnings from the teacher’s union it may not be totally safe for staff or children.

The reopenings see pupils back at school for just over two weeks before the summer holidays begin in early June, with strict social distancing rules in place.

Break times will be staggered to avoid large numbers of children in the playground at once, and unused spaces will be turned into classrooms to allow pupils to spread out, Education Minister Li Andersson said when announcing the decision on 29 April.

Finland has so far recorded 284 coronavirus-related deaths and over 6,000 infections, a lower rate than neighbouring Nordic countries, which has led epidemiologists to warn that future waves of the virus may prove more serious.

At Eestinkallio primary school, on the outskirts of the capital Helsinki, teachers made sure children kept a safe distance apart as they waited in the playground for school to start.

Under social distancing regulations, some grades started the school day two hours later than usual, at 10.15.

“I think we’ll be focusing more on the social side than the actual teaching, making sure the kids are OK,” class tutor Johanna Mauno told AFP.

“We’ve already got their end of year grades so we’ll be trying to get back to some sort of normal so the kids don’t have such a huge gap before the autumn term starts.”

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On Tuesday, Andersson announced that laws were being drafted to allow for schools to switch between classroom and distance teaching as required once term starts again in mid-August, if the epidemic spikes.