Facemasks and sanitizer as French kids go back to school

PARIS: Twelve million French children headed back to school on Thursday, wearing facemasks, using sanitizer at the entrance and standing distanced from each other in the yard under strict government rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

"This is very different from usual 'back-to-school' days," said Matthieu Seguin, deputy director of the Rodin high school in central Paris, also pointing out air purifiers in classrooms and spare masks for any pupils that had forgotten theirs. With inoculations now also available for children from age 12, and pupils encouraged to get their shots, Seguin said his school might become a vaccination center.