” We have always made the choice to keep schools open. “On the eve of a new school year under high tension, against a background runaway contamination cases due to the Omicron variant, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, announces in a interview at Sunday newspaper that an adapted health protocol will henceforth apply in the classrooms.
” We will apply the same rules to children as for the entire population: seven days of isolation for positive cases », Details the minister in the Sunday weekly. Regarding contact case students, ” the appeal will be three consecutive tests allowing to come to school as long as these are negative “, Specifies Mr. Véran, this with the assumed objective of avoiding” to massively close classes “.
According to information from JDD which cites a ministerial note, families may have recourse to self-tests, on D + 2, then on D + 4. Parents may not have to present the results of the tests but a “sworn certificate”.
On December 28, Jean-Michel Blanquer formulated the proposal to require “At least two tests [négatifs] several days apart ” to avoid isolation for students in contact cases, against only one currently. The details of the new school protocol must be presented on Monday by the Minister of National Education.
Postponement of the start of the school year definitively ruled out
While a section of the teaching body and health professionals demanded the postponement of the start of the school year set for January 3, this scenario is definitively ruled out by the Minister of Health. ” In years of strong bronchiolitis epidemics, there are 2,000 to 3,000 children in intensive care. This is significantly more than hospitalizations for Covid in this age group. No one thought about closing schools for that “, He justifies facing the risk of congestion of pediatric hospital services feared by some caregivers.
To critics who denounce the government’s inaction on the ventilation of classrooms, Mr. Véran assures that ” The State financially supports the local authorities which equip schools with sensors “. In mid-December, 20% of schools, 38% of colleges and 54% of high schools were equipped with CO sensors2, then estimated the Ministry of National Education. But the systematic equipment of each classroom was not privileged.
The government announced Sunday that the isolation rules for people diagnosed positive for Covid-19 will be lightened from Monday, January 3 for those with a complete vaccination schedule, who will have to isolate themselves for a period of seven days regardless of the variant. This isolation can be lifted after five days in the event of a negative antigen or PCR test. Contact persons with a complete vaccination schedule and performing regular tests will no longer undergo quarantine.