Schools reopened across Serbia for the second semester on Monday with younger children going to school every day while the rest attend classes online and in schools.

The Education Ministry’s Schools Team (which includes staff from the Batut Public Health Institute) decided last week that elementary school children from grades 1 to 4 will go to school every day while children in grades 5 to 8 will attend classes under a so-called combined model, going to school every other day with homeroom classes divided into two groups. The combined model will be implemented by all high schools in the country.

In Serbia proper, school ended the first semester at the end of December with classes resuming on January 24. In the northern Vojvodina province, the first semester ended on December 23 (in deference to large minorities which celebrate Christmas on December 25 unlike the Serbian Orthodox Church which celebrates Christmas on January 7 under the Julian calendar) with classes resuming on January 10 for high schools and January 17 for elementary schools.