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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has decided to suspend in-person classes for pupils across all schools in the Kurdistan Region until December 1 amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
"Studies for grade one and two as well as high-school grade 12 - governmental and non-governmental - will be suspended until December 1" read a statement from the KRG interior ministry's High Committee for Combatting Coronavirus. The decision is to take effect immediately.
Nearly half a million pupils are affected by the new decision.
Classes will continue online for students in grades three to 11, according to the interior ministry.
The school year in the Kurdistan Region began last month after seven months of closure due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with grade 12 students returning to classes under new restrictions on September 27.
Schools were opened for grade one and two to physically attend classes on October 10, while students in grades 3 to 11 have been studying online.
The Kurdistan Region has 6,429 schools, with more than 1.7 million students for the 2020-2021 school year, according to data from the education ministry.
The Kurdistan Region recorded 1,054 new cases and 28 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday. The total number of cases in the Region since March 1 stands at 77,079, with 2,483 deaths.
According to the Kurdistan Teachers Union, at least 6,000 students and teachers have contracted coronavirus in the Region since the onset of the outbreak of the pandemic.
Schools and universities were initially closed on February 26 as part of the KRG’s measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The education ministry approved online education in mid-April but eventually cancelled examinations as pupils and students missed out on a significant chunk of the curriculum. Grade 12 students went ahead with their final examinations under strict coronavirus containment measures.
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