LONDON: Widespread reopening of schools after lockdowns and vacations is generally not linked to rising COVID-19 rates, a study of 191 countries has found, but lockdown closures will leave a 2020"pandemic learning debt" of 300 billion missed school days.
IfE found that 52 countries that sent students back to school in August and September – including France and Spain – saw infection rates rise during the vacation compared to when they were closed.In Britain and Hungary, however, infection levels dropped after initial school closures, remained low during the holidays, and began rising after reopening.
"The key now is to learn from those countries that are reopening effectively against a backdrop of rising infections," Grob-Zakhary said.The report said 44 countries have kept schools closed.