Students in Bavaria to wear masks for the first two weeks of school

Only elementary schools will be exempt from this requirement

With the school year picking up in unprecedented circumstances, different regions of Germany have had to figure out their own specific policies on how students will be reallowed into classrooms. For Bavaria, the rules are stricter when compared to other places, in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of locals.

A return to school on the path to normalcy

Schools in Bavaria are set to reopen next week, on 8 September and in preparation for the event, state authorities have taken extra care to forge a plan for the safe resumption of educational activities. At a press conference held on Monday, 31 August, State Prime Minister Markus Söder highlighted some of the rules that will be enforced during the first weeks of the new school year.

The most important measure to be enforced by authorities is the mandatory wearing of masks by both students and teachers for the first 9 to 14 days of the school year even while in class. The only institutions that are exempt are elementary schools where the wearing of masks will not be mandatory.

The mandate for the use of personal protective equipment has the option to be extended should the reopening of schools lead to a drastic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the specific area. Furthermore, schools can voluntarily decide to continue the practice even if there hasn’t been an uptick in new infections.

Other measures related to the start of the school year that were announced by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder include the purchase of over 350,000 new laptops for students as well as the provision of new school buses – both aimed at easing the access of children to education even during a global pandemic.