Up to 17 quarantined school groups on second day of classes

The number of school groups in quarantine in Catalonia increased to 17 on Tuesday after 70 teachers and 45 students tested positive for coronavirus.

On the second day of class, which was interrupted last March due to the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities called on students to avoid going to school while awaiting Covid-19 test results.

In all, 275 teachers and 338 students are in quarantine as of Tuesday.

Three out of the roughly 5,400 educational institutions in Catalonia could not open on Monday after staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Catalan Secretary of Education Núria Cuenca has called on everyone awaiting Covid-19 test results to stay home from schools to "avoid infections and the confinement of an entire group."