There were happy faces of parents queuing in front of schools all over France on Monday. After three months in lockdown, they could finally send their children back to school. 

Schools had reopened gradually since 11 May. Yet, because of the strict health measures, in reality only 1.8 million of the 6.7 million children in school could return to class in the last couple of weeks. 

On Monday, all children went back – although some parents chose to keep their children at home, fearing new contaminations. 

Although "everything is done to welcome the children in the safest way", according to a government spokesperson.

Most of the parents we spoke to were satisfied with the reopening. "We're pretty happy now we're going back to normal again. And the kids need it too, to socialize and to see other things," one parent told CGTN Europe in front of an elementary school in Paris's 13th District.

France has now entered Phase three of easing its measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Government recommends social distancing of one meter in elementary schools, but if there is not enough space, it is not obligatory. 

Also, limiting the number of children in one classroom was scrapped. In high schools, if social distancing is not possible, wearing a protective face mask is obligatory. 

Universities are still closed and may not reopen before September. 

The return to school will be short-lived, however, as in just two weeks the summer holidays start for two months.

READ MORE: The new normal - education

As well as schools, on Monday, casinos, cinemas and theaters opened again, with strict hygiene measures in place, as did swimming pools in Paris. 

The MK2 cinema in Paris came up with an innovative way to ensure its customers adhered to social distancing regulations when it reopened – putting toys of Minions (characters from the Despicable Me movies) between viewers. 

Last week, many museums, tourist sites, and swimming pools reopened. Just like other European countries, France also reopened its borders to travelers from the Schengen area. 

Next Sunday, the second round of municipal elections in the country will begin. So far, 29,666 people have died in France of COVID-19-related illness, an increase of 23 in the past 24 hours.

Video editing: Natalia Luz

Check out The Pandemic Playbook, CGTN Europe's major investigation into the lessons learnt from COVID-19.