facilitators and barriers of elementary school reopening during the covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Background: elementary school closures are much less effective than other social distance interventions in controlling the covid-19 pandemic because of the low rate of sars-cov-2 transmission between children in educational settings. therefore, identifying facilitators and barriers to school re-opening can help parents and school staff plan for students’ return to school. in this study, we examined the facilitators and barriers of school re-opening during covid-19 from the perspective of parents and school staff of zahedan, southeast of iran. methods: we did a qualitative study using conventional content analysis. participants were selected by purposive sampling in may 2021, in zahedan, southeast of iran. data was collected through semi structured and in-depth interviews. credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were established to assure data trustworthiness. audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed in accordance with graneheim and lundman.results: we recruited 14 parents, five teachers, and five school principals from 7 elementary schools in zahedan. data analysis showed that overcrowding, financial problems, failure to comply with protocols and lack of proper educational space were identified as barriers to school re-opening. also, teaching health protocols, providing health conditions for schools and preference for in-person learning were identified as facilitators of school re-opening.conclusion: parents and school staff expressed their views on facilitators and barriers to reopening schools. due to the different strains of covid 19, there is a possibility of re-peak at any time. identifying facilitators and barriers of school re-opening will be effective in planning and policy-making of school re-opening programs during the covid-19 and after corona pandemic for promoting the health of school staff and students.