The City of Tampere has prepared new guidelines imposing ban on face coverings in educational institutions and daycare centres, said the city in a press release on Monday. The city took the move to impose the restriction in early childhood education, basic education, upper secondary education and vocational education on safety ground. The ban on clothing such as balaclavas and full-face scarves is scheduled to go into effect in the autumn, said the city. Anne-Mari Jussila, the Deputy Mayor of the city´s educational services said that the use of face-covering cloths in Tampere schools is very rare but the guidelines were prepared considering possible safety challenges. “The recognition of students and staff and open interaction are safety issues. Facial visibility helps the development of language, emotional expression and social skills, teacher-student interaction and the reliability of assessment at all levels of education,” said the Deputy Mayor. Tampere had not city-level guidelines on the use of face-covering cloths in the past. “We are promoting the issue due to the national debate and the policies of other large cities,” said Ulla Ojalammi, Chief of the basic education of the City, adding that with the guidelines the city wants to ensure equal right to safe studies for everyone.