Covid school: level 3, what new measures?

Mask, level 3, what new measures at school?

[Mise à jour du 8 décembre à 14h26]. the health protocol in schools is reinforced as of December 9. He goes from level 2 to level 3 in primary school. “Our priority since the start of the crisis remains to preserve the education of our children. It is with this objective that we have already reinforced the barrier gestures within schools with the wearing a mask in the classroom“, Jean Castex said on December 6 during a press conference. “For elementary school children, we will ask for an additional effort until the holidays. From Thursday, the wearing of the mask will also be required in the playgrounds and team sports with contacts will be restricted ” added the Prime Minister.

From Monday December 13, “catering conditions will be adjusted in conjunction with local elected officials to limit mixing as much as possible“, explains the Prime Minister. In addition, the systematic screening of all students remains maintained if there is a positive case in the class. Classes will close from 3 positive Covid-19 cases.

The latest news on Covid at school

• The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on young people, more severe than expected. According to a report by the World Bank, Unesco and Unicef published on December 6, children and adolescents currently in school around the world risk losing nearly $ 17 trillion in income due to school closures linked to the pandemic. In low- and middle-income countries, the percentage of children not able to read and understand basic text by the age of 10 could quickly reach nearly 70% because of this shutdown. “The Covid-19 crisis has paralyzed education systems around the world (…) The loss of knowledge of these children is morally unacceptable. (She can have) devastating effects on the productivity, incomes, and well-being of this generation of children and youth, their families, and economies around the world“, explained Jaime Saavedra, education manager at the World Bank.
• WHO Europe calls for better protection of children aged 5 to 14. The European branch of the World Health Organization believes that this age group is the most affected. To avoid class closures and distance learning, she recommends strengthening screening tests in schools and the vaccination of students. “It is not uncommon today to see incidences two to three times higher in young children than in the total population “, director Hans Kluge said at a press conference.

• The Christmas holidays will not be brought forward. Jean-Michel Blanquer specified that the school holidays would not be modified, because “iThere is no less contamination during the holidays than during school time “ and “much more intermingling in children’s personal lives than during school time“. However, the government had already opted for a standardization of school holidays according to the zones last spring. But the option therefore remains unlikely at present:” we have all the assumptions on the table, (…) but this is not the preferred hypothesis today, “he said on RTL.

• Increased incidence rate among students. “The incidence rate is increasing among children, as we are doing a lot more tests among them “, declared on RTL Jean-Michel Blanquer on December 7. It is therefore not, for the minister, an “explosion” of cases. He also recalls that when a case is positive, “the whole class is tested and only those who have been negative come back for a few days”.
• Level 3 health protocol, which changes: the children will therefore have to wear the mask indoors and outdoors (in the playground) The mixing of students will also be limited, especially in the canteen so that the classes do not mix. Sports activities can be practiced outdoors, “as well as indoors for low-intensity activities”, with the wearing of a mask and respect for distancing, specifies the health protocol at the school.
• Europe’s recommendations on distance education. Meeting on November 29 at the Council of the European Union, the Ministers of Education and Youth adopted a recommendation concerning hybrid teaching approaches. In particular, they recommend that Member States support pupils in order to overcome the loss of learning caused by partial school closures and to stimulate the development of their digital skills and those of their families. They also invite members to invest in connected tools, as well as in resources and pedagogy in the digital age, in particular by using available European funding.
• Two self-tests per week for 6th year students. To “keep a maximum number of schools open, while maintaining the same level of protection for students”, Jean-Michel Blanquer wants children not yet old enough to be vaccinated to be able to perform two self-tests per week, and this from next week, said the minister on France Inter this Friday, November 26. The 6th grade pupils “are a special case because the children are under 12 years old and are not vaccinated. We will give a box of 10 self-tests valid for five weeks. The school principals will spread the word to the parents” a-t -he explains. From Monday, these self-tests will be carried out with the family.
• Children’s mental health weakened by the crisis. The results of the Defender of Rights’ annual report, published on November 17, are worrying about the children’s mental health. According to Claire Hédon, “it has been shown that the first confinement led to a general increase in depressive syndromes and even to a doubling among 15-24 year olds (10% of them presented with a depressive syndrome in 2019, compared to more than 20% in 2020)“. The closure of schools, colleges and high schools and distance education have also increased the risk of screen addiction. “(Professionals) challenged us on the difficulties of circadian rhythms, eating disorders, sleep in children, who were exhausted in schools, who suffer from attention problems. Teachers find it difficult to mobilize them on projects“, thus explained the Defender of the children Eric Delemar, this November 16. Faced with this observation, Claire Hédon proposes 29 recommendations such as allowing each child to access devices of reception of the young child, developing the” support for the parenthood “and open” adolescent houses “in each department. She also insists on the fact that children’s mental health must become a public priority and that they must be taken care of quickly in the event of a problem.”A child who is not doing well will become an adult who is doing badly (and who will live in) a bad society. “, she insists.

Vaccination of children aged 5 to 11: for whom?

A first opinion from the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) makes it possible to vaccination of children aged 5 to 11, especially for overweight children with risky pathologies, from December 15. Subject to scientific advice and bodies and the National Ethics Council, the government plans to “be able to open vaccination to all children on a voluntary basis, if possible by the end of the year “, specifies Jean Castex.

Class closures: numbers and protocol

As of November 2 at 1 p.m., the Ministry of National Education recorded 4,578 closed classes and 38 school structures (36 primary schools and 2 closed colleges). The previous week, there were 74 school structures and 8,890 closed classes in France. This figure has thus decreased since Monday, November 29, since a primary class no longer closes from the first case of Covid-19. On the other hand, “the appearance of three confirmed cases among the students led to the closure of the class for a period of 7 days. “ specifies the government. Indeed, students who test negative can return to school, while other students return to class after 7 days, and continue home schooling. “There will no longer be systematic class closings from the first case of Covid-19, but systematic screening of the whole class. In other words, only students who test negative will be able to return to class. These tests can be carried out by the legal representatives.“declared Jean-Michel Blanquer on November 25. middle and high school students : high-risk contact students without full vaccination continue for 7 days with distance learning, while vaccinated students can continue face-to-face lessons.

“For this to work, all children will have to be tested. No student will be able to return to class if they do not have a negative test. It is the educational teams who will have to check the tests provided by the parents: these tests do not fall under medical confidentiality.“said Jean-Michel Blanquer on France Inter this Friday, November 26.

Where to take a back-to-school test? RT-PCR tests on nasopharyngeal or salivary sample, RT-LAMP or antigen on nasopharyngeal sample. can be carried out with authorized city professionals, medical biology laboratories and pharmaceutical pharmacies in particular. Supervised self-tests are not recognized for this type of situation, as regulations do not allow them in contacts of a confirmed case. Finally, regardless of the type of test performed, the tests are free for minors.