German schools reopen to new normal

Students at Bonn's Freiherr-vom-Stein secondary school finally returned to school on Thursday (April 23), pleased to see each other again but nervous about the brand new regime teachers are trying to make the new normal.

Schools reopen with a new look Location: Bonn, Germany Students at this high school are adjusting to spaced queues and designated seats divided by tape (SOUNDBITE) (German) HEADMASTER OF FREIHERR-VOM-STEIN SECONDARY SCHOOL, MARTIN FINKE, SAYING: "First of all, we reduced the number of students in one group, of course.

We now have around eight children in one classroom with one teacher in various shifts.

This means, the students are going to stand in line outside the classroom, we do not let them go through the building.

Then they will wash their hands and go to their designated desk, that is reserved just for them.

We'll have to start teaching the children that this is the new routine and this is how we are going to conduct classes." Social distancing measures have been used by German authorities and they are helping gradually reopen a limited number of schools and shops (SOUNDBITE) (German) HEADMASTER OF FREIHERR-VOM-STEIN SECONDARY SCHOOL, MARTIN FINKE, SAYING: "Today is the beginning of something new and I hope that we'll be able to give the students that come here some confidence and a feeling of community, in this new reality, so they can see us and their classmates again.

It is a reality that they will have to get used to even after their graduation in August, we will all have to deal with it.

We have a whole new subject now, which we'll have to teach every morning, and its called hygiene."