Back to school in Democratic Republic of Congo after COVID-19 state of emergency ends

Some schoolchildren and students returned to school on Monday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after the end of the COVID 19-related state of emergency.

The conclusion of the emergency period was announced on July 21 and the partial resumption of classes was then scheduled for Monday August 10, in an attempt to complete the 2019-2020 school year.

The restart of the school year only applies to children in the last years of primary and secondary school, as well as students in the fifth year at the university.

Schools and universities were closed on March 24 in the DRC, a decision taken by President Felix Tshisekedi. As the partial reopenings took place, President Tshisekedi visited Athénée de la Gombe, a school in the north of the capital, Kinshasa. He warned that the virus had not disappeared and urged students to continue to respect the safeguards that have been put in place.

Since the start of the epidemic in March, 9,489 cases have been recorded in DRC, including 224 deaths, according to official figures released on Monday.