As Spain struggles to rein in the fastest growing COVID-19 infection rate in Europe, it’s grappling with how to ensure safety in the classrooms this September, even as some schools in Madrid have been forced to delay their start by several days or even weeks.

Spain became the first country in Western Europe to reach half a million confirmed coronavirus infections.

Data from Spain’s Health Ministry showed a total of 525,549 cases as of Tuesday, including 29,516 deaths. In comparison, France has recorded 367,174 total infections and 30,732 deaths, while Britain has 352,451 total cases, including 41,643 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s.

In order to stop the spread in schools, Spain’s government laid down the rules at the end of August: all students aged 6 and above must wear masks in class; class sizes are to be reduced; students are to be kept in assigned “bubbles” to prevent them mixing; desks must be positioned at least 1.5 meters apart; all schools must improve open-air ventilation, and provide hand disinfection stations.