Students in Brazil return to school in pilot program

High school students resumed classes on Tuesday in the city of Niteroi, across the bay from Rio de Janeiro, in a pilot program that is expected to show that it is possible to expand the reopening to more schools.

Hundreds of students showed up at the GayLussec private institute, undergoing temperature checks, hygiene measures and social distancing before starting classes.

School officials watched closely to ensure all protocols were followed, before allowing the students into their classrooms.

"This is a pilot project, before we actually open schools," school director Maria Christina Pinto Sassi said while monitoring students entering the facility, adding that if no new infections occur in the next three weeks, more schools will be open to all grade levels.

Students say they are happy to return to classes, after schools were shut down last March because of the pandemic, leaving tens of thousands of school children trapped at home.

"I feel safe, because I saw the video GayLussec put onto Youtube which showed all the measures, all the protocols for distancing and hygiene, so I think it's safe," 16-year-old Augusto Costa said before starting a day of classes for the first time in months.

Parents and education officials say they believe the safety protocols designed to mitigate the pandemic will prove adequate, and allow for a general return to class by November.