Mexican schools re-opened after a year and a half of closure

Thousands of Mexican schools opened their doors on Monday after a year-and-a-half of closure, with a voluntary and hybrid system between in-person learning and virtual lessons.

"We are truly uneasy," said Veronica Ruiz after dropping off her daughter at a Veracruz school.

"A boy or girl could have the disease, and this could spread, and then they could spread it to others," she said.

The new school year begins at a time when Mexico is amid its third wave of COVID-19 infections and has recorded more than 380,000 COVID-19 confirmed deaths.

About 64% of its adult population has received at least one dose of vaccine, but very few children are vaccinated.

"The return to classes doesn't necessarily mean a greater risk for the kids who return to school nor for the community," said public health expert Miguel Betancourt.

But they have to follow basic hygiene, vigilance and ventilation conditions and be prepared to constantly make adjustments if necessary, according to UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization.

Mexico has more than 30 million students, 25 million of those in basic education.

They make up a significant portion of the 100 million children affected by school closures across Latin America during the past 18 months.

The region already faced existing obstacles that put many of its students behind their peers in other parts of the world.

UNICEF regional advisor Vincenzo Placco warned that the pandemic will sharpen the learning crisis in the region "with long-term consequences on the development of an entire generation of students."

In Mexico along, 5.2 million students did not enroll in the last semester because of issues related to the pandemic or a lack of resources, according to the country's Interior Ministry.

"They cannot remain stagnant, locked up," said Blanca Martínez after dropping off her son, who is beginning his first year of high school.

"If the disease is going to remain and given that it will not be eradicated, then we have to carry on," she said.