Coronavirus: Which other countries around the world have introduced face masks in schools?

Gavin Williamson says U-turn is government now following 'best scientist and medical advice'

A classroom in Nova Blanche Forman Elementary School in Davie, Florida, US, on 19 August, 2020. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald via AP, File)

The government performed another U-turn on Tuesday evening by announcing that face masks will be mandatory in the communal areas of some schools.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said the decision, which will affect pupils in local lockdown areas, had been based on the “best scientist and medical advice”.

Headteachers of schools in other areas can decide whether to advise face masks in communal areas.

“We always follow and listen to the best scientific and medical advice, and that's why we're not recommending that face coverings should be mandatory right across the country in all schools,” Mr Williamson told Sky News on Wednesday.

The reversal came after Scotland announced that all secondary school pupils should wear face coverings in between lessons.

In recent months, Boris Johnson’s government has been criticised for being slower than other countries to make face masks obligatory in enclosed spaces such as shops, and introducing other lockdown measures.

But how does the UK's approach to face masks in schools compare to the policies adopted by other countries?

France

When children return to the classroom on 1 September, those over the age of 11 will have to wear masks indoors regardless of social distancing.

Teachers will also be required to do the same, meaning they will give lessons in masks.

Guidelines also dictate that spaces that are touched regularly, including door handles, will need to be disinfected a minimum of once a day.

Masks will also be worn by workers in offices from the start of September, with the exception of private offices.

Germany

As Germany’s 16 states are responsible for educational policy, the rules on face masks vary quite significantly across the country.

The education ministry in the state of Schleswig-Holstein has not made face coverings mandatory but has recommended that teachers and pupils use them in the classroom for the first few weeks of term.

Elsewhere, North Rhine-Westphalia has a rule in place which requires pupils to wear face masks in the classroom until the end of August.

US

Like Germany, the picture differs from state to state in the US.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that wherever possible face masks should be worn in schools.

In a statement released in late July, the CDC said: “Appropriate and consistent use of cloth face coverings is most important when students, teachers, and staff are indoors and when social distancing of at least six feet is difficult to implement or maintain.”

South Korea

South Korea was ahead of the curve by making masks mandatory for students and teachers when schools reopened in May.

As well as face coverings, staff and students were told to maintain their distance from one another and to wipe their desks.

Following an increase in coronavirus cases in and around Seoul, authorities recently closed all schools and kindergartens in the area.

This comes after 200 pupils and school staff tested positive for coronavirus in the greater Seoul area over the past fortnight.

Italy

Students returning for the new school year on 14 September will wear masks, while their teachers will also have to don face shields.

Pupils will sit one metre apart and lessons will take place outside wherever possible.

Agencies contributed to this report