Turkey plans to begin reopening schools on September 21

Schools in Turkey will start to reopen on September 21 in a gradual transition back to in-person education, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Wednesday. The reopening was delayed by three weeks after a rise in coronavirus cases.

Selcuk said that distance learning would begin on August 31, when schools had previously been set to open. Ankara announced the initial closure of schools in mid-March after the emergence of the first coronavirus cases in Turkey.

Last week, Turkey rolled out new inspection and enforcement rules after daily new coronavirus cases jumped above 1,000 for the first time in three weeks, Reuters said.