Beijing education authorities said on Friday that staff and students shall wear masks at school and only take them off on outdoor occasions where there are no crowds and no contacts.

Primary and middle schools will be put under relatively closed management, and the risks of spreading COVID-19 will be reduced by staggering attendance and keeping a distance of at least one meter, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission said.

Kindergarten children do not have to wear masks, but their teachers and staff do. Regular checks shall be conducted for the attendees, it said.

Beijing has rolled out plans for the opening of schools for the fall semester with a slew of targeted prevention measures.

All teachers, students and staff from low-risk areas must present a green health code to be able to return to school. Those from medium-risk areas shall observe the 14-day quarantine rule and take nucleic acid tests before returning to campuses.

Universities and colleges will pay for nucleic acid tests for students who come from areas outside Beijing. Students entering any building on campus should have their body temperature checked and their code scanned.