GERMAN SCHOOLS TOLL BELLS TO REMIND TUTORS TO OPEN WINDOWS

Many German primary schools have discovered a new use for bells that once rang on the hour to indicate that class is over: to remind teachers to let in fresh air to reduce the chance of any coronavirus infections spreading.

"In many elementary schools, school bells weren't in use any more," Edgar Bohn, the chairman of the primary school association, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa.)

In many cases school bell systems are now being put back into service as a precaution in the coronavirus pandemic.

They are rung to remind teachers to let fresh air into classrooms for 5 minutes every 20 minutes, in line with federal recommendations. Bohn noted that this can be disruptive - and chilly if pupils don't dress warmly enough. Some 2.8 million pupils attend Germany's 15,000 primary schools.