Should young children or older ones restart school first, and why?

Virtually all European countries diverge on this issue.

Germany and Hungary have already reopened schools for older children who are taking exams at the end of the school year. Younger children in Germany will follow afterward, returning in waves up to the summer break.

France and Poland are doing the opposite, bringing back the youngest, including preschoolers, but only voluntarily. Norway opened elementary schools on April 27.

The Netherlands sits in the middle. It began opening schools on Monday on staggered timetables, with priority given to the first years of elementary school and the last years of high school.

Sweden never closed schools for children ages 16 and under.

In most cases, science is only one factor behind these decisions.