Iran to reopen schools in low-risk regions

Tehran : Iran's Education Ministry has announced plans for reopening of schools in low-risk regions, while high-risk regions will continue with online classes.

"Excluding regions with high numbers of Covid-19 cases, all schools will start education with in-person attendance in the new school year in late September," Xinhua news agency quoted Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei was saying on Tuesday.

"Some 35 per cent of nationwide classes, where social distancing is possible, will return to normal while following safety rules," Haji-Mirzaei said.

He noted that for those students who will not attend classes, educational content will be available online, via TV broadcasts and through contact with teachers.

Schools in Iran were closed for nearly four months during the last academic year as the novel coronavirus broke out across the country in February.

So far, the country has reported a total of 376,894 cases and 21,672 deaths.