SYDNEY: Children will be banned from playing the recorder and singing in school choirs across Australia's most populous state in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, authorities said Monday .
"All group singing and/or other chanting activities, as well as the use of wind instruments in group settings, are not permitted," the local education authority said. "School formals, dances, graduation or other social events are not permitted," the New South Wales education department added.Although public schools in Sydney and the rest of New South Wales have reopened after initial lockdowns, authorities said the new measures would help them operate in the"safest ways possible".