A school statement confirmed the cases, adding that the five were: “currently in isolation, are asymptomatic and feeling well.”

The school handled contact tracing and on 28 August sent 58 students from one grade home to be tested five days later. From another grade “one classroom has been sent back home for a day,” the statement explained.

The upper school resumed classes on 26 August, while the lower school followed on 27 August with a staggered start for pre-school and kindergarten.

After eight weeks in lockdown, the Merl-based private school reopened in May with a raft of safety measures in place, including thermal body temperature cameras, and half the cohort continuing with homeschooling.

The school has since outlined guidelines for the new school year in relation to hygiene and safety and teaching approaches. It will cater for three scenarios: a face-to-face learning model, classes in rotation in conjunction with online classes and a fully virtual learning model.

“Classes impacted by identified cases will apply blended learning methods, which consist of a combination of virtual learning for students working from home and physical learning for students at school,” the school explained.

According to government figures published in August, 2,711 people were placed in quarantine, among them 726 students, after being traced to infections at schools in Luxembourg. Of that number, 152 tested positive, of which 16 were students.

Public schools in Luxembourg are expected to resume on 15 September. Education minister Claude Meisch (DP) said in August the ministry aimed to have a maximum presence of students in class in compliance with health measures.