But health minister Salvador Illa said that, while closing down schools could be necessary if multiple cases of the virus were detected across different classrooms, that would be the last resort. Since Spain came out of a strict lockdown at the end of June, transmission of the virus has rebounded fast. The health ministry diagnosed 3,594 new infections on Wednesday and has logged nearly 83,000 in the past two weeks. Asked whether concerned parents would have the right to keep their children at home, education minister Isabel Celaa said schools were safer than other places. Teachers, students and parents have criticised the central government for waiting until the last minute to announce the nationwide rules.

Source: Hindustan Times August 28, 2020 06:19 UTC