Denmark, Finland say reopening schools did not worsen outbreak

A partial reopening of Danish schools did not lead to an increase in coronavirus infections among young students, a doctor of infectious disease epidemiology and prevention at the Danish Serum Institute said on Thursday, citing new data.
Denmark was one of the first countries to reopen society on April 15 after a one-month lockdown, allowing students up to fifth grade back in school.
“You cannot see any negative effects from the reopening of schools,” Peter Andersen told Reuters, referring to data updated on Wednesday.
The latest data showed no significant increase in infections among children aged between one and 19 in the weeks after the partial reopening of schools.
“Based on the preliminary experiences that we have had, it has been a prudent way to plan a reopening,” Andersen added.
Finland also has seen no evidence of the coronavirus spreading faster since schools started to reopen in the middle of May, the top health official said on Thursday.
“The time has been short, but so far we have seen no evidence,” Mika Salminen, director of health security at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare, told a news conference.
Finland started to reopen schools and daycare centers from May 14 following an almost two-month shutdown.

Denmark, Finland say reopening schools did not worsen outbreak