German state shuts 2 schools after new cases

Officials in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have shut down two schools after new cases of coronavirus were confirmed only days after the northeastern German state became the country's first to resume classes.

Officials in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have shut down two schools after new cases of coronavirus were confirmed only days after the northeastern German state became the country's first to resume classes. The dpa news agency reported Friday that a high school in Ludwigslust was shuttered after a teacher tested positive for the virus and a primary school in Graal-Mueritz was closed after a student was confirmed to have COVID-19.

The sparsely populated state has been Germany's least affected by the pandemic, with 910 positive tests for COVID-19 and 20 virus-related deaths among its 1.6 million residents. Schools fully reopened on Monday with no mask or distancing requirements, but with children divided into fixed groups for classes in an effort to compartmentalise possible outbreaks.

The development raises concerns as Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, prepares to send its 2.5 million students back to school next week. It has the country's strictest guidelines, including a mask requirement at all times in school buildings.

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