The school year will continue on January 10 despite the low vaccination rate, with no alterations to the scheduled timetable and with regularity and full attendance at all educational levels.
This was reaffirmed yesterday at a press conference following the Interterritorial Council to determine the circumstances for the return to school after the Christmas holiday season by the Ministers of Education, Mart March, and Health, Patricia Gómez.
The statement came shortly after the Balearic Islands, the community with the lowest percentage of children vaccinated against covid: only 14.7% of the population under 12 years old has received the first dosage, according to the Ministry of Health. Regardless of the evidence, the government has heard the demands of the educational community, which urged nearly unanimously to abandon the blended learning and not prolong the return to the classroom date.
In any case, beginning on the third of ESO and while the Balearic Islands are in health warning categories 3 and 4, schools will be required to increase the distance between students to a meter and a half.
In addition to the measures in place since the start of the school year, extracurricular activities with overnight stays are prohibited throughout the second quarter, with the exception of those engaged in the Erasmus program. Furthermore, the Governor will advise schools to take the temperature at the school’s entrance, which should not exceed 37.5 °C. It will also advise schools to avoid face-to-face encounters as much as possible. He will recommend that Infant and Special Education instructors, as well as specialists and educational technical assistance, wear an FFP2 or KN95 mask.
Families, on the other hand, will be asked to agree not to send their children to school if they exhibit any symptoms consistent with covid. In this regard, the government has updated the information supplied to schools to indicate which symptoms are associated with the new variations. In addition to the normal, these include sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, night sweats, nausea, conjunctivitis, and even hair loss.
Safe Zones despite vaccination rates
Despite his obvious message of “calm,” March reminded the public that “covid is still here, it is still mutating, and we must not let our guard down.” He did, however, state that schools are “one of the safest institutional environments.”
While waiting for Public Health to make a decision, school quarantines remain in place.
Concerning student quarantines in schools, an issue that has sparked heated debate in the educational community, the government made no changes and stated that, for the time being, the confinements by close contacts will be maintained until the Public Health Commission makes a decision in this regard.
Albert Lobo, president of FAPA Mallorca, for his part, applauded the Govern’s decision to continue with the attendance and stated that any other technique “would not make sense,” because “the schools are safe, even more than the outdoors.” In this line, the responsibility assured that educational facilities adhere to form protocols that are considerably more “tight” than the rest of society.
The government forbids extracurricular activities that require an overnight stay and advises parents to take their children’s temperatures.
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