School starts again on Monday after the extended Christmas vacations. The Minister of Education Martin Polaschek is already calling for testing for the corona virus over the weekend.
The requirements have remained unchanged: As before the holidays will be tested at least three times a week regardless of vaccination status, even in class mask must be worn. In addition, compulsory attendance remains suspended. Education Minister Martin Polaschek is already calling for testing this weekend.
All children have been given three antigen tests to take home before the start of the vacation. “Please have your children tested over the weekend before they go back to school on Monday,” Polaschek said in a statement on Friday. “Everywhere capacity allows, a PCR test is also useful.” In Vienna, Deputy Mayor and City Councillor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr and City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker are therefore calling for PCR testing at the weekend. Only completely healthy children should take part in attendance classes.
Corona test call before the start of school on Monday
High school students and all teachers must wear an FFP2 mask in class, up to the lower school a mouth-nose protection is sufficient. Those who do not wish to participate in face-to-face classes may be excused by their parents – a doctor’s note is not required. These rules expire on January 15, but could be extended soon.
In the “safety phase” will be tested three times a week for Corona
During the “safety phase”, which will last until the end of next week, corona tests will be carried out three times a week, at least one of which must be a more conclusive PCR test, the others being rapid antigen tests. In Vienna, Lower Austria and Upper Austria, there are already two PCR tests per week; as of January 17, the other federal states are to follow suit. High school students and all teachers must wear an FFP2 mask in class, while a mouth/nose protection is sufficient up to the lower grades. Those who do not wish to attend classes can be excused by their parents – a doctor’s certificate is not required. These rules expire on January 15, but could be extended soon.
The guidelines for class closures remain unchanged
The guidelines for class closures also remain fundamentally unchanged: If there is a Corona case in the class or group, face-to-face instruction will generally continue – only if there are additional positive cases within five days will that class/group be sent to Distance Learning. However, this does not mean that the children in Distance Learning are automatically also in quarantine – the (health authority) quarantine requirements do not have to correspond to the (school) rules for Distance Learning. Only the Corona case itself must be quarantined, as well as close contacts and immediate seat neighbors from the fifth grade on. However, due to the general new contact person rules announced yesterday, Thursday, there will de facto be fewer quarantine cases: Double (up to eleven years) or triple vaccinated children do not have to be quarantined, the same applies to unvaccinated children, if they have been wearing a mask throughout (up to lower grade mouth-nose protection, from upper grade FFP2). The mask requirement is currently mandatory anyway.
- sources: APA/vienna.at/picture: Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
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