Turkey's teachers to get vaccines ahead of March 1 re-opening

Teachers in Turkey will get COVID-19 vaccinations in February as they prepare for a nationwide gradual re-opening of schools as of March 1, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Tuesday. "We plan to administer vaccines to our teachers, who will be starting in-person education, throughout February," he said.

Teachers in Turkey will get COVID-19 vaccinations in February as they prepare for a nationwide gradual re-opening of schools as of March 1, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Tuesday. President Tayyip Erdogan announced the re-opening on Monday after a cabinet meeting, saying some in small villages would resume general education on Feb. 15 while other grades and age groups would re-open on March 1.

In a TV address, Selcuk said all pre-schools would also re-open full-time on Feb. 15, while other grades will start March 1. "We plan to administer vaccines to our teachers, who will be starting in-person education, throughout February," he said. Primary school students will attend class twice a week, while students in grades 8 and 12 - who are studying for high school and university exams - will attend full-time.

A "comprehensive programme" is planned to compensate losses from the pandemic, Selcuk said, adding students would not be deemed absent if parents choose to continue online classes. Turkey has so far reported nearly 2.5 million cases and more than 26,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the outbreak began in March of last year. Some 2.2 million Turks have received shots of the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, according to Health Ministry data.

Turkey had closed schools shortly after the outbreak and pushed back re-openings. The government has imposed weekday curfews and weekend lockdowns since December to curb a surge in cases.