Pupils in Cyprus will return to their schools in September, but protection masks will be mandatory, in accordance with the necessary health protocols, Minister of Education and Culture, Prodromos Prodromou has said.

In statements after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which took place at the presidential residence in the Troodos mountains region, Prodromou said that the Cabinet has decided that students of all public schools and their teachers will return in September to their classrooms, where strict health protocols will be observed. He pointed out that the recommendation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, is that pupils return to schools. The same recommendation, he said, is valid for private schools.

Prodromou stressed that the Ministry`s priority, along with providing necessary education to students, is of course the compliance with health precautions.

He said that the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Health has already reviewed and updated the health protocols. 

To this end, he continued, all  necessary arrangements in school halls and classrooms are being made.

Concluding, he clarified that reusable face masks can be used, provided that they are disinfected.