The situation in the schools under the weight of the “Omicron” variant will be discussed on January 5 by the ministers of Education of the federation and the states, immediately after the return of the students to the classrooms. On the table will even be the possibility of returning to distance education.
“The Omicron variant destroys all hope for normalcy,” Heinz-Peter Meidinger, head of the Teachers’ Union, told Die Welt. “Omicron is threatening to create a whole new situation, as the risk of transmission is extremely high and many children have not yet been vaccinated.” In view of the new reality, Mr. Meidinger points out that the practice so far, with the use of a mask and frequent diagnostic tests, may not be enough.
Prior to the Christmas break, 250,000 students were in quarantine, Meidinger said, adding that if Omicron arrived at the schools, many departments would have to close, even temporarily, even if no general closure was decided. It therefore calls on the states to prepare emergency plans for the schools so that they can be prepared for a new pandemic.
The education ministers, who will meet digitally next Wednesday, want to assess the situation immediately after the opening of the schools, on January 3rd. The presidency of the conference of the Ministers of Education and Culture issued a statement in which it emphasizes that the operation of schools with physical presence is a top priority, while, according to the RND Network, only the Thuringian government disagrees with the presence of children in the classrooms after the holidays. . The local government has already announced that the children will be in distance education for the first two days, January 3 and 4.
According to the current regulations, on January 3, students will return to school normally, while those who have not been vaccinated or recovered will have to undergo a daily diagnostic test in the first week. Meanwhile, 90.5% of the teaching staff has already been vaccinated against Covid-19 and 3% have recovered from the disease.
University of Charité University Hospital professors Frank Bockenhaupt and Martin Meckel, however, believe that “epidemiologically it makes no difference whether children go to school or not”, as the “Omicron” variant is so contagious that private or family environment.
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