The leader of New South Wales in Australia has confirmed that students will begin to return to school in the third week of term two, ending weeks-long closures enforced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that, after the first two weeks of term, which begin on 27 April, she would like to see “more face-to-face teaching for students”, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The third week of term two will begin on 11 May.

The decision by Berejiklian paves the way for schools in the state to re-open, enabling students to return to in-person classes after spending several weeks learning online from home. Schools in New South Wales will join those in France and Denmark, which are set to begin re-opening their doors in May.

However, the return to school for New South Wales students will come alongside revised social distancing measures designed to ensure the safety of students, parents and staff.

“We are currently going through the process of speaking to stakeholders, speaking to principals and teachers, to look at the various options and what will work for NSW,” said Berejiklian. “It’s important for everybody involved – whether you’re dropping off a child, whether you’re a teacher and, of course, the kids themselves – that everybody’s safe and feels they are safe.”