Russian School, September Normal Opening Controversy... COVID-19 Spread Continues

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian government has announced that it will resume normal in-person classes starting next month on the 1st, despite the ongoing strong spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), sparking controversy both inside and outside Russia. While Russian education authorities claim to have taken appropriate safety measures, voices calling for a postponement of the school reopening are growing louder considering the current severe spread.

According to local media such as Russia's TASS news agency on the 31st, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview with the Russian TV channel Rossiya 1 on the 29th that "the new academic term for educational institutions will begin on the 1st of next month," and added, "We will carry out everything necessary to comply with hygiene rules." He also mentioned that, given the serious COVID-19 situation, educational institutions will conduct online classes in parallel.

Sergey Kravtsov, Russia's Minister of Education, also announced at a cabinet meeting held on the 26th that new semester classes for kindergartens and secondary education institutions in the country will be conducted normally from September 1st. However, opposition is growing amid the still fierce spread of COVID-19 in Russia. On that day, Russian health authorities reported 4,980 new daily confirmed cases, with the cumulative total reaching 990,326.

Opposition parties in Russia are calling for a delay in the school reopening. According to Russia Today, Vasily Blasov, a member of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, sent a letter to the Minister of Education requesting that the school reopening be postponed by about a month. Blasov explained that delaying the reopening would reduce social contact and help prevent the spread of the virus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.