The third graders are also required to have no physical contacts with their classmates

Daily Mail and Shanghaiist report that Hangzhou primary school students are being told to wear one-metre social distancing hats.

The initiative comes as Coronavirus lockdowns across China are being lifted and normal life begins to resume.

Yangzheng Primary School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, introduced the measure as their students in years 1 to 3 returned to campus on 26 April.

The school’s principal, Hong, said the move will ensure students continue to social distance themselves from each other.

“We encourage our students to wear the one-metre hats to stay at least one metre (three feet) away from each other,” Hong said.

The DIY-made hats are constructed from balloons, cardboard and other materials that create a 1-metre “buffer zone” between students.

Students are also instructed to not have physical contact with each other.

The hats bare resemblance to those of Song Dynasty officials who wore similar hats to prevent whispering during court assemblies.

Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic, discharged its last Coronavirus patient and cities around China are now restoring normality.

“I’m glad, it’s been too long since I’ve seen my classmates,’ 18-year-old Hang Huan said in Shanghai. “I’ve missed them a lot.”

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