“We are not closing either the school or the country”, explained Monday evening to the newspaper of France TV, Jean Castex, before announcing 3 simplifications to the health protocol :
- When a positive case is tested in a class, parents will not be immediately asked to pick up their child.
- If the child is a contact case, he must now do 3 tests (1 antigen in the pharmacy then 2 self-tests), now he can practice 3 self-tests for free. “11 million will be delivered to pharmacies this week,” said the minister.
- Only one certificate will be requested to return to class.
Sunday evening, on the eve of the start of the school year, the Ministry of Education unveiled the Covid-19 health protocol for the start of the 2022 school year. The objective: no longer close classes, even if 3 cases are positive.
The ministry’s FAQ can be downloaded here: https://www.education.gouv.fr/covid-19-questions-answers.
National education has also ordered 55 million surgical masks to equip school and educational establishment staff, with first deliveries from mid-January.
As Omicron sweeps across France, isolation rules for positive cases and contact cases have also evolved to limit absenteeism and not paralyze the country. The first virological data available for the Omicron variant indeed show a faster incubation time for the Omicron variant than for the previous variants, supporting a possible reduction in the isolation time.
Vigilance is maintained for the ventilation of rooms and the limitation of mixing. Are still encouraged by the Ministry of Education, air purifiers, CO2 sensors.
Wearing a category 1 “general public” mask is compulsory from the age of 6
Wearing a category 1 “general public” mask remains mandatory for staff and for students of elementary schools, colleges and high schools. This follows the recommendations of the High Council of Public Health to no longer use handmade masks, deemed less effective than so-called “category 1” masks manufactured by manufacturers.
In nursery schools, the mask remains prohibited.
When the mask is not in use, it can either be hung on an insulated hook, or folded without outside/inside contact (without rolling it up) and stored in an individual pocket.
Ventilation of classes every hour and reinforced disinfection
The protocol recalls that the ventilation of the premises and classrooms must be “as frequent as possible”. Ventilation must last at least 15 minutes in the morning before the arrival of the pupils, during breaks, during each recess, at lunch time (in the absence of people) and during the cleaning of the premises. And an aeration of a few minutes must also take place every hour.
Furthermore, in the case of mechanical ventilation, its proper functioning and maintenance must be ensured.
Limitation of mixing and lunches by groups in the canteen
Students in the same class eat lunch together while maintaining a distance of at least two meters with those of other classes, against one meter previously. The ministry specifies that “the stability of groups of students having lunch at the same table is privileged”.
In middle school and high school, “when respecting the distance of two meters between students is materially impossible, it is advisable to have the students of the same group (class, class groups or level) have lunch together and, to the extent of possible, always at the same table. A distance of at least two meters is respected between the groups.”
Outside the canteen, student traffic rules are unchanged to limit mixing between students (arrivals and departures spread over time, breaks in groups, limited travel, etc.).
What if my child has a symptom?
Your child flies, coughs, complains of the throat… Are you wondering if it’s a cold or the coronavirus?
“In case of suggestive symptoms1 Covid-19 or fever (38°C or more), the child must not go to school and the parents take advice from the attending physician who decides on the measures to be taken”, indicates the Ministry of Education.
In this case, the parents must inform the principal or headteacher stating the reason. In addition, it is essential that parents immediately inform the school or educational institution if the student or another member of the household has Covid-19, or if the student has been identified as a contact at risk. A lack of rapid information would not make it possible to identify and interrupt the chains of transmission in the school space.
In the event of a positive test, once the school director or the headteacher has been informed, your child must stay at home while receiving treatment. Exclusion from the class is 7 days from the date of onset of symptoms (or even 5 days in the event of a negative test on D+5 and in the absence of symptoms). Conversely, in case of fever on the 7th day, isolation continues until 48 hours after the disappearance of symptoms.
Source:
- Reinforced health protocol, Ministry of Education, updated on January 3, 2022.
- The “health protocol” FAQ on the website of the Ministry of Education.
Read also:
- My child is a contact case: what protocol at college and at school?
- Covid-19: schools are not places where the epidemic is accelerating
- Coronavirus: are children under 5 extremely contagious?
- Coronavirus in children: symptoms, treatment