Schwerin (dpa / mv) – From next Wednesday (February 24th) school children up to grade six will only go to school normally again in the districts of Rostock and Western Pomerania-Rügen and in the city of Rostock. The prerequisite is that the incidence there remains below 50, as the Ministry of Education announced on Thursday in Schwerin.
In rural districts and urban districts with current incidence values between 50 and 150, everything will remain the same for the time being as before the winter holidays: the compulsory attendance is lifted, but children up to grade six can be looked after at school if this is not possible at home. In regions with more than 150 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week (incidence), there is only emergency care. This currently affects the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald.
The step-by-step plan presented by the ministry on Thursday stipulates that schools up to grade six can reopen regularly from February 24 wherever the incidence is below 50 for at least ten days. This is currently only the case in the districts of Rostock and Vorpommern-Rügen as well as in the city of Rostock.
There is again compulsory presence. Children with previous illnesses or who live in a household with previously ill people could still be exempt from being present, it said. According to the information, face-to-face lessons are also available nationwide in the final classes. Participation is required in regions with an incidence below 50. If it is higher, the requirement to be present is lifted.
Class seven and up, face-to-face classes are scheduled to start on March 8th in regions with an incidence of less than 50 for at least ten days. As a rule, the learning groups should be divided (alternating lessons). Attendance is mandatory on the attendance days.
Where the seven-day incidence is between 50 and 150, according to the ministry, the same rules apply as they did before the winter holidays: For the older children, distance lessons apply. The local health authorities could, however, deviate from this and allow alternate instruction if the infection rate in the region can be clearly defined and classroom instruction is justifiable from an epidemiological point of view.
Students returning to school after the winter break must present a form completed by their parents stating that the child has not been in a risk area in the past ten days. In addition, it must be explained that the child has no symptoms that could indicate an infection with the coronavirus.
The opposition left called for schools to open faster. The time period in which a region has to fall below the incidence of 50 must be halved from ten to five days, demanded the parliamentary group leader, Simone Oldenburg. Otherwise the students lose valuable teaching time.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210218-99-493341 / 3
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