303 school groups in quarantine, almost tripling since Friday

218 of 5,455 Catalan schools affected, with 3 in Barcelona shut completely

A child arriving at school with his mother, September 17, 2020 (by Àlex Recolons)
A child arriving at school with his mother, September 17, 2020 (by Àlex Recolons) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 21, 2020 06:05 PM

One week on from the reopening of schools in Catalonia, the number of school groups quarantining due to a confirmed case of Covid-19 is 303, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education, released on Monday.

The figure is almost three times that of Friday, when there were 111 groups affected.

The overall number of schools affected has also risen sharply, from 87 on Friday to 218 on Monday.

Currently, 96% of schools in Catalonia still have all classes attending as normal, and the majority of schools that have staff and pupils self-isolating only have one group affected.

As of Monday, a third school has had to close its doors completely, all three schools that are shut are nursery schools or daycare centers in Barcelona.

The areas with most schools affected are Maresme-Vallès Oriental, north of Barcelona, with 39; Central Catalonia with 35; Barcelona city with 33; and Vallès Occidental, again north of the capital, with 32.

See here for a graph showing quarantined classes and school closures to see how Covid-19 has affected schools since September 14.