Germany reopens some schools amid fears pandemic may rebound

BERLIN (AP) — Elementary students in more than half of Germany’s 16 states returned to school Monday after more than two months at home, the first major relaxation of the country's pandemic measures since before Christmas.

Kindergartens also reopened their doors for pre-school children, giving much-anticipated relief to stressed parents trying to juggle working from home and childcare during the lockdown.

The move was agreed at a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state governors two weeks ago, and stuck to despite signs that the decline in case numbers seen in the country is flattening out again and even rising in some areas.

Education Minister Anja Karliczek has defended the decision to reopen schools, saying younger children in particular benefit from learning together in groups.

Schools should use “all available means to prevent virus transmission,” Karliczek told German news agency dpa, expressing confidence that state education officials who are in charge of school matters in Germany would consider the infection numbers when deciding where to reopen.

Germany’s disease control agency says there were 4,369 newly confirmed cases and 62 deaths in the past day, though Monday’s numbers are often low due to reporting delays at the weekend.

The spread of more contagious virus variants has caused particular concern in Germany.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert noted that a recent review of positive tests found that the variant first detected in Britain is now present in almost a quarter of all cases.

“In general, experts expect that ... the next measurement will result in a higher figure,” he told reporters in Berlin.

Elementary school students in Berlin and elsewhere are required to wear masks in class and some will continue to do...