France has sent primary and nursery pupils back to school, the first phase of reopening after a three-week Covid-19 lockdown, even as daily new infections remain stubbornly high, Reuters reported.

In the upmarket Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, pupils wore face masks and rubbed disinfectant gel on their hands as they filed through the front door of the Achille Peretti primary school. A poster reminded the youngsters to stay a metre apart.

"They're young, they need an adult to help them, but most parents have a job and it's burdensome to ask them to do the school work," said teacher Elodie Passon.

Schoolchildren gather in the playground as they return to classes at Lepeltier primary school in La Trinite, near Nice, France on Monday. — Reuters
Schoolchildren gather in the playground as they return to classes at Lepeltier primary school in La Trinite, near Nice, France on Monday. — Reuters

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