Mideast in Pictures: Back to school, with face masks

ANKARA: Schools in Turkey reopened for the new school year with in-person education resumed following months of shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, amid the progress in a nationwide vaccination campaign.

The new guidelines issued by the government recommend vaccination for everyone involved in education, from parents to teachers, while all students, teachers and other staff, as well as visitors, are required to wear face masks. The Turkish Ministry of National Education, in cooperation with the Health Ministry, will use a new "data integration system" to track the health status of teachers and students.