A dozen countries surveyed – including Brazil, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Palestine and Ukraine – now use traffic light monitoring systems that trigger different measures according to levels of infection: mask wearing, hand washing, ventilation, but also indoor and outdoor distancing, and class closures on a case-by-case basis to avoid impacting all students in the school. Countries including Canada, France, United Kingdom and Italy are also using mass rapid test-to-stay policies.

Socio-emotional support, assistance to teachers and financial resources are essential to effectively implement these protocols. UNESCO calls once again to step up efforts to vaccinate teachers, because teachers were not allocated to any priority group in about 1 in 3 countries.