A heartbreaking photo shows preschool students in France being forced to play alone in sectioned-off areas at recess as schools reopen amid the coronavirus crisis.
The 3-and-4-year-old tots are shown sitting in lonesome square “isolation sections” — drawn in chalk on playground pavement inside the school — in the northern town of Tourcoing Tuesday.
The photo has sparked outrage from parents online.
“I can’t get over this,” historian Laurence De Cock, fumed on Twitter. “This image is heartbreaking. We can’t call this ‘school.’ ”
The image reveals the sad reality of the new normal as Europe eases lockdown restrictions, said Lionel Top, a reporter for France’s BFM news, who snapped the shot at the unnamed school.
“To ensure respect for distances, while taking advantage of recreation, the teaching team drew squares on the ground for the little ones,” Top tweeted, along with the photo.
“The children play, dance, jump, laugh together … but from this square. From what we have seen, they do not view it as a punishment.”
But the practice looks more like jail time than playtime, some observers said.
“I’ve never seen such a sad picture,” said another parent, Myriam Cau. “It’s horrible to subject children to this.”
Another Twitter user added: “Shameful for children but also for teachers and institutes! What horror!!!!”
