SCHOOL AND COVID. The Covid-19 is still circulating in France, but the public authorities consider that the closure of a class should only occur as a very last resort.
Children and adolescents return to class at the beginning of September. The Ministry of National Education has made public a new health protocol to deal with a potential epidemic resumption of Covid-19. As for months, the closing of classes has not been provided for in the device, this option is not mentioned, it is now a measure of very last resort, which is not framed by a directive from the ministry.
Can classes and schools close?
Since January, the general principle established by the Ministry of National Education is this: even in the event of the appearance of contamination, the classes do not close and the children are tested as soon as a case of Covid is identified in the class. Class closures can still occur in reality “depending on the situation”. “In the presence, for example, of a very large number of cases”, specified the services of the ministry. In recent months, class closures have been very rare, on the order of a few dozen each week.
Covid circulation in schools
Here are the incidence rates (number of cases per 100,000) measured over the last rolling week by school level. The figures below are drawn up by Public Health France and taken from the Data.gouv website.
The Ministry of National Education has posted infographics online to make the anti-Covid system easily understandable.
In elementary school
In college and high school
A health protocol has also been put in place for this 2022-2023 school year. The rules evolve according to the epidemic situation in France, but it should be noted that it is no longer planned to make the wearing of a mask compulsory again. Good practices to limit the spread of the virus are reminded again and again.