School reopens for nearly 1 million students in China's Guizhou

The senior high third-graders study at the No 6 Middle School in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, March 16, 2020. [Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua]

Nearly 1 million students in their final year of senior and junior high schools in Southwest China's Guizhou province attended schools after a prolonged Lunar New Year festival due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Customized school buses, wearing masks, temperature checks, designated routes to classrooms to prevent the gathering of crowds -- the first school day back seemed special and safe for the students.

According to the provincial education department, over 2,400 high schools reopened on Monday, involving more than 990,000 students, as the coronavirus situation has been greatly eased in the province.

Guizhou has seen no new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease for nearly a month, and the province's last COVID-19 patient was discharged on Monday as well.

Zhou Jin, head of the education bureau of Guiyang, the provincial capital, said more detailed and tailored plans will be made to ensure safe offline schooling for more students.