How to Get 260 Million Kids Back to School After the Virus
Masks are mandatory and lunchtime is lonely.
A teacher adjusts the distance between desks at a school in Chongqing on April 18.
Photographer: Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
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Everything about going back to school after a months-long coronavirus shutdown was bound to be strange, but 17-year-old Jack Yang figured at least he’d get to commiserate with his friends in person.
The reality has been disappointing. His classmates are barely recognizable behind their mandatory masks. Desks are spaced too far to chat with a neighbor. And lunchtime?