Covid-19: Students can return to in-person classes from next week provided there is a safe environment

An Order of the caretaker Minister of Health issued on November 3 sets out the conditions under which students can return to in-person attendance classes in municipalities where the 14-day Covid-19 morbidity is more than 500 infections per 100,000 population.

The conditions require a safe environment. These include testing all pupils with children-friendly tests twice a week. Teaching and non-teaching staff will also be required to be tested if they do not have a certificate of vaccination, of recovery from the disease or antigen or PCR test result.

In municipalities where the 14-day morbidity is between 250 and 500 Covid-19 infections per 100,000 population, school authorities can choose between two options - 100% in-person learning in a safe environment with children-friendly tests or without testing, but for 50% of the classes following a schedule as determined by the Minister of Education.

For a 14-day morbidity below 250 per 100,000 population, testing of children and staff is not required.

The health minister’s order allows for in-person attendance classes to begin after November 8, but the specific dates for each school will depend on the readiness to introduce anti-epidemic measures. It is allowed to introduce the in-person learning for schools or even separate classes, depending on the discretion of the educational institutions and the arrangement already in place.