Schools and universities across Iran have fully reopened for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than two years ago.
From Sunday, which coincided with the beginning of the holy Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Iran, students and teachers were obliged to attend classes in person across the country.
Some schools and universities had seen partial reopenings before as COVID-19 peaks subsided, but none had fully and consistently reconvened classes physically since the start of the pandemic in Iran in February 2020.
State television showed footage of packed classrooms from several provinces across the country on Sunday, with masked students sitting in rooms with open windows.
Metros and buses were made free of charge until 9am to encourage students and teaching staff to use public transport.
Being fully vaccinated is a prerequisite for attending classes for students and teachers.
Health protocols call for mandatory masks, disinfected spaces and teams to monitor developments at schools, but not for increased physical distancing in classes.
Three groups of students are now allowed to be absent from physical classrooms: those suffering from underlying conditions, those infected with coronavirus and those showing symptoms.