On 10 August, state-run schools in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, re-opened, the first public schools in Brazil to do so since the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic forced their closure five months ago.
Analysis:
Despite the uncontrolled coronavirus outbreak in Brazil, various sectors of the economy have been gradually reopening since May, and the country’s local authorities now face the dilemma of whether, and how to, reopen schools for in-person classes. With the United Nations (UN) warning of a “generational catastrophe” due to months of lost education on the one hand, and the World Health Organization (WHO) urging against reopening schools in areas where the pandemic is not under control on the other, the decision is fraught with difficulties, as exemplified by the situation in Manaus.
- Yesterday, 123 state-run secondary schools in Manaus opened for 55,000 students, with another 55,000 students due back today (11 August), as classrooms are filled to half-capacity. The Amazonas state government says it invested R$10m (US$1.8m) to equip schools for new sanitary protocols, which include taking students’ temperature, the installation of hand-sanitizing stations, and the use of personal protective equipment.
- Attendance was sparse, however, amid safety concerns, and some teachers protested the reopening of schools as premature. “Schools closed, lives saved” a banner hung in the east zone of Manaus read. Speaking to local news site G1, representatives from different teachers’ unions complained about deficient cleaning protocols and said it was impossible to enforce physical distancing amongst teenagers.
- Amazonas is the first state in Brazil to reopen its public schools, although for the moment schools outside of Manaus remain closed. The state’s private schools went back to in-person classes at the beginning of July.
- The overall Covid-19 infection and mortality rate in Amazonas is well above the national average, and the state suffered a collapse in its healthcare system in April, but the outbreak in the state has since slowed and appears to be controlled.
Looking Ahead: The return to in-person classes in other states remains uncertain, with recent judicial rulings suspending the reopening of private schools in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, while the state government of São Paulo has delayed the reopening of public and private schools until 7 October.