Schools reopened completely across Kenya on Monday for the first time in nearly 10 months.

The Kenyan government closed schools across the country in March, after the East African country confirmed its first case of COVID-19. The government has reopened schools for students in grades 4, 8, and 12 who were preparing for their final exams. The rest – some 16 million students – are expected to return to classes on Monday.

The government has required school officials and teachers to implement public health measures, such as social distancing and hygiene guidelines, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

However, teachers have expressed concern about the safety of their students and themselves amid the pandemic. Wilson Sossion, Secretary General of the Kenya National Association of Teachers, For BBC Newsday The level of preparation for COVID-19 safety measures prior to the reopening was „totally inadequate“.

“When you give such directives to schools and don’t fund them, how are they expected to implement them?” Scion said.

Kenya, with a population of 51 million, has reported more than 96,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including at least 1,685 deaths, according to the latest data from the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.