Moscow, 1 September 2021 (dpa/MIA) — Russians headed back to school on Wednesday accompanied by few additional health measures despite the growing number of cases of Covid-19 in the country. Some 17 million children and young people attended classes in person, as Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said there were no plans at present for distance learning Schools must regularly take the temperature of children and young people, to avoid mass outbreaks of infection. Also, students are to avoid changing classrooms as far as possible. In Moscow, pupils with symptoms of a cold or Covid-19 were told to stay at home. Meanwhile Russia announced more than 18,300 new cases of Covid-19 within the space of a day on Wednesday, and 790 deaths due to the virus. Recently, the health authorities recommended teachers and students be vaccinated against Covid-19 and there has been discussion of making shots compulsory for school children. Under current regulations, 12- to 17-year-olds will only be able to be vaccinated after mid-September. President Vladimir Putin warned against replacing in-person teaching with computer based learning in a speech to students in Vladivostok. Distance learning cannot teach skills like teamwork, Putin said, according to Interfax news agency.