Millions of children return to schools across world: Here's the list of countries

Millions of mask-wearing children headed back to school after summer holidays despite rising numbers of coronavirus infections.

Here's the list of countries:

Teachers and pupils between 11 and 18 will be required to wear masks both indoors and outdoors. Pupils in Germany returned to school on last month.

French pupils go back to school Tuesday as schools across Europe open their doors to greet returning pupils this month, nearly six months after the coronavirus outbreak forced them to close and despite rising infection rates across the continent.

Many teachers and parents are worried the reopening of schools will accelerate the spread of Covid-19, but governments have insisted it should go ahead.

French children return to school on Tuesday, after a two-month long summer break that followed two weeks of obligatory schooling just before the holidays.

Russia surpassed the one million mark in total coronavirus cases on Tuesday as students throughout the country returned to classrooms on the first day of the new school year.

Health officials reported 4,729 new confirmed infections, bringing the total to 1,000,048 -- the world's fourth-largest caseload after the United States, Brazil and India.

President Vladimir Putin was expected to address some 17 million students and more than 1.5 million teachers in an online lesson on World War II.

Schools across Europe are reopening despite the worries of many parents and teachers that the move could accelerate the spread of Covid-19 after leaders said their countries had beaten back the virus and eased restrictions.

Putin has repeatedly said that Russia has passed peak infections and the government eased most restrictions in June ahead of large World War II commemorations and a national vote on a new constitution. 

Undeterred by the coronavirus, schools in several US states have reopened for in-person classes -- but some have already been hit by large quarantines of students and staff following fresh outbreaks.

In Mississippi -- the state with the country's highest positivity rate at 22 percent of everyone tested, sick or otherwise -- the Corinth School District has so far seen eight confirmed cases across several schools, according to officials.

As a result, over 100 people who came into close contact with them have been asked to quarantine, swiftly disrupting local authorities' plans for a return to normal.

The city of Corinth is located in Alcorn County where positivity rates are 25 percent and ICUs are full, according to the tracking site CovidActNow.

Health experts say that if the proportion of positive tests in a given location is above five percent, the virus is spreading rampantly.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves told Fox News the quarantine was in fact evidence things were working as they should.

"Those who want to attack everyone look at that as a negative, I actually look at it as a positive," he said.

"We've identified positive cases, we've contract traced those back and we're trying to protect those kids."

Students in face masks returned to class Tuesday in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, as the city opened schools and kindergartens for the first time in seven months.

Nearly 1.4 million students resumed classes at some 2,800 kindergartens, primary and middle schools across the city, following the re-opening of high schools in May. 

State media broadcast images of thousands of students hoisting the Chinese flag -- a daily routine at all public schools -- despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings.

Schools have drawn up plans to switch back to online teaching should new outbreaks emerge, city officials said last week.

Students were advised to wear masks to and from school and avoid public buses or trains if possible.

Schools have been preparing to start in Spain's 17 regions towards the end of the first week and the beginning of the second week of September.

Murcia, Asturias and the Canary Islands have moved opening dates to the 14th and 15th of September.

Under the national guidelines issued on August 27, all school children from the age of six must wear face masks.

Thousands of teachers underwent COVID-19 tests in Madrid before a fresh academic year starts in Spain.

Schools in England and Wales will finally reopen on September 1. All students will return to school for a new term after schools were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, this closure led to the cancelation of exams and left students' future in chaos.

Unlock 4.0 or the fourth phase of unlocking after the Covid-19 lockdown has begun from September 1 and the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued the Unlock 4.0 guidelines.
 
The Unlock 4.0 guidelines also note that schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutes including coaching centres will remain closed for students and regular class activities till September 30.