First graders have class at Taipinglu Primary School in Haidian District, Beijing, capital of China, Aug 29, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Students of elementary, middle and high schools in the capital city are slated to return to school on Monday. This comes as the city further lifts pandemic epidemic response restrictions and steadily returns to normalcy as the latest outbreak continues to wane.

Grade one and two of middle and high schools as well as students of all grades in the elementary schools in Beijing can resume on-campus classes, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission said on Saturday.

Kindergarten students will return to school on July 4. Meanwhile, students in controlled residential communities will continue studying online, according to the announcement.

Middle and elementary school students shall present nucleic acid test results within 48 hours of their own and those who they live together with before returning to school, Li Yi, spokesperson of the city's education commission, said at a press conference on Saturday.

Middle and elementary school students are advised to take nucleic tests twice a week and an environment testing should be carried out once a week after the school reopens, he said, noting that students and teachers will be given priority in conducting nucleic acid tests.

Summer break for middle and elementary school students in the capital city will go ahead as scheduled, starting from July 15, according to Li.

Earlier, seniors in middle and high schools went back to school and resumed graduation examinations.

Since the new outbreak in late April and early May, students of kindergartens, primary and middle and high schools in Beijing were asked not to return to campus after the May Day holiday in order to prevent the risks of COVID-19 further spread.

The city reported one locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 case on Saturday.

Global Times