The Italian government of PM Mario Draghi on Thursday announced it would tighten requirements for proof of vaccination in the education and care sectors, news wires reported. Anyone entering schools or universities, including parents and non-teaching staff, will from 10 October have to provide a "green pass," which shows proof of vaccination, recovery from or a negative test for Covid-19.

Kosovo on Tuesday postponed the beginning of the school year for students up through high school by two weeks following a surge of coronavirus infections due to the delta variant, and new precautions were taken in other Western Balkan countries like Albania and Serbia, news wires reported. Perparim Kryeziu, the spokesman for the Kosovo government, told the Associated Press that “we have put up some new restrictive measures,” which include postponing classes until Sept. 13, imposing a 10 p.m.-5 a.m. nightly curfew, having restaurants and bars only operate outside and mandatory mask-wearing both indoors and outside.

As millions of children return to school across the European region, where the highly transmissible Covid-19 Delta variant is dominant, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Europe and Central Asia Regional Office on Monday call for schools to stay open and be made safer by adopting measures to minimize transmission of the virus.

In good news for those who don't particularly enjoy having a swab shoved deep into one nostril, the French health authority has given the green light for the rollout of saliva tests for Covid-19, The Local France reported. The test is considered slightly less accurate than the nasal swab, but it is easier and more pleasant to use, and will be used to ramp up mass testing in schools and universities.

Ukraine closed schools, restaurants and gyms on Friday as a tighter nationwide lockdown took effect to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the nation of 41 million people, Reuters reported.

The Czech government ordered bars, restaurants and clubs closed from Wednesday and shifted schools to distance learning as it puts new measures in place to curb the fast spread of novel coronavirus cases, Reuters reported.

Schools reopened in much of Italy on Monday for the first time since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March, ANSA reported. Some 5.6m pupils are back in class in 12 regions, plus the autonomous province of Trento.

French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer announced on Friday 22 schools were closed in France due to cases of Covid-19. "In mainland France, there are currently 12 schools closed out of a total of over 60,000, which is a small figure. Adding 10 schools in La Reunion (island), that makes it 22," Blanquer told Europe 1 radio.

Schools open their doors in many EU countries nearly six months after the coronavirus outbreak forced them to close. Some teachers and parents worry the reopening will accelerate the spread of Covid-19, but governments have insisted it should go ahead. Countries are taking different approaches to minimise contagion amid students.

European nations are pushing ahead with reopening primary schools despite a rise in coronavirus cases, with smaller classes, shorter lessons and mask-wearing among the steps adopted to curb infections, news wires reported. But many parents and teachers worry the measures are not enough, with some parents inclined to keep their children at home.