Twenty schools and 120 classes had to be closed due to cases of Covid-19, only three days after the start of the school year.
- 22 schools have been closed in France and more than a hundred classes, due to proven cases of Covid-19.
- Three cases of Covid-19 trigger the closure of a school structure.
Barely three days after the start of the school year, 22 schools were closed in France and more than a hundred classes, due to proven cases of Covid-19. “It obviously varies every day,” explains the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer on Europe 1, specifying that around 250 protocols for suspected cases were triggered daily. These concerns are usually “linked to factors external to school, with people who often could have been infected before the start of the school year”, he specifies.
Rather optimistic, Jean-Michel Blanquer also recalled that “if there are more than three cases of Covid, it triggers the closure of a school structure” and that in case of “large phenomena (of closure) in the future, a protocol would be triggered to help families. My goal is that families are not disturbed in their daily lives.
Mandatory mask for students over 11 years old
The Minister of Education had prepared for the start of the school year by announcing that the mask would be compulsory for all students over the age of 11 on September 1, even when social distancing is respected. Doctors are also pleading to make it compulsory to wear a mask from the age of 6, but the measure is debated.
There is no question of a “second wave” yet, but the coronavirus epidemic is progressing exponentially in France. Since July, screenings have multiplied by a little more than two, and the number of cases of Covid-19 has multiplied by 12.
Viral circulation is active in France
The impact on the healthcare system remains moderate to date, but has been steadily increasing for 6 weeks. According to the latest figures from Public Health France, visits to the emergency room for suspected Covid-19 have increased by 10%. The same trend is observed for the rate of admission to intensive care, which has increased by 21%.
“Virus circulation is active in mainland France, particularly among young adults. This situation is worrying and all efforts must converge in fear of an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths. prevention (hand hygiene, physical distancing, greeting without shaking hands, stopping kissing, coughing into your elbow and wearing a mask) must be reinforced, as must the “Test-Trace-Isolate” strategy of identifying new cases and their contacts and then isolate them as soon as possible to break the chains of transmission”, concludes Sophie Vaux, epidemiologist.
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