Barely ten days into the new academic year which began in September, authorities had to close down 32 schools and send home a total of 524 students due to the virus.

In France, the coronavirus situation is fast deteriorating, with the latest stats showing 8,500 new infections and 71 hotspots. 5.2 per cent of the tests have come back positive, which is a significant increase from the 1.6 per cent measured in early August.

According to data released by Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, the closures only affected 28 schools and 262 classes at first, but after a few short days, authorities had to close down 32 schools and 524 classes. Nevertheless, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said the closures have only affected 0.05 per cent of French schools. He stressed that although there s a natural increase in terms of the infection numbers, the number of educational institutions health authorities have had to shut down because of Covid-19 is skyrocketing.

As masks are only mandatory for students aged over 11, a group of health professionals called Stop-Postillons is asking to make the wearing of face masks compulsory for every elementary school student from the age of 6. Health authorities believe this could be an effective defense because there is no point in parents wearing masks at work if their kids can carry the virus home from schools, writes Le Figaro.

As schools are sending home a growing number of students, the French government issued a press release, saying workers who must stay home with their kids and are unable to telework will be eligible for a partial unemployment benefit. The amounts can be claimed retrospectively from 1 September by only one parent per family, provided they can prove that neither of them is able to work from home.