Wuhan students going back to school

After taking nearly five months of online courses, Xiong Shuaiheng, a 17-year-old student at Hubei Wuchang Experimental High School in Wuhan, Hubei province, was excited to return to school on Friday.

"I have studied remotely since the outbreak of COVID-19 and I am so eager to see my classmates and teachers," Xiong said.

Wuhan was previously the hardest-hit city by the coronavirus in China.

Xiong is one of some 120,000 students at around 120 high schools and secondary vocational schools in Wuhan who were allowed to return to schools on Friday, said the city's education bureau. They won't be in school for long as summer break is scheduled to begin on July 31.

Ten days ago when Xiong got the news of in-class school resumption, he started to carefully arrange his books and supplies for the new semester, "even it seems a little late".

"My mother has prepared enough masks and alcohol disinfectant for me, but she is still a little concerned about the risk of COVID-19 infection at school," he said. "When I arrived at school in the morning, seeing our school's epidemic prevention and control measures, I think she could relax a bit."

The school has installed infrared thermometers at the front gate and students enter the campus through a specified channel, maintaining a distance of at least 1.5 meters from each other.

Students have their temperatures checked again before they enter the classroom.

"Teachers will check each student's temperature at least twice each day," said Wang Haisong, a dean at the school. "If someone's temperature is abnormal, the student will be brought to an observation room and examined by professionals."

Disinfectants and liquid soap have been placed in each classroom and wearing surgical masks remains mandatory, except during physical education classes and outdoor activities.

Furthermore, the school has arranged for students in different grades to enter and leave at staggered intervals to avoid large gatherings, Wang said.

To reduce the risk of cross-infection, lunches in disposable boxes were delivered to the school and students were asked to maintain distance, both indoors and outdoors, while eating.

"On their first day returning to school an epidemic-themed discussion was held," Wang said. "Students talked freely about their feelings and how to protect themselves, and teachers also gave students psychological counseling on how to relieve study stress caused by the outbreak," he added.

Other schools are also taking strict preventive measures to ensure the safety of students as schools begin to reopen.

At Wuhan No 68 High School, all 700 students' desks have been installed with partitions to block airborne droplets during chatting and dining.

Students in Wuhan No 11 High School will be closely monitored during the ongoing recovery from the contagion.

"Wearing surgical masks is necessary indoors and health conditions of all students and teachers will be strictly monitored," Principal Tao Yong told local media.

During lunch, students are asked to sit separately in designated seats in the school cafeteria.

For the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, which Xiong plans to sit for next year, he has a new idea after experiencing the novel coronavirus scare.

"Maybe I will choose a major related to new types of infrastructure or internet fields. They have provided great support for so many students' online studies nationwide," he said.