More infections in schools, ‘plea for new measures creates unrest’

The share of students infected with the corona virus in the total number of infections is increasing. After infections at home, through visits or infections at work, the number of infections that takes place in schools is now in fourth place, followed by nursing homes. Previously, schools were a place of contamination under the nursing homes.

Now that the number of corona infections is stagnating and remains at too high a level (5,214 new infections on Monday), pediatrician epidemiologist Patricia Bruijning raises the question of whether additional measures are no longer needed to reduce the number of infections in schools as well. In News hour she argued for a different approach on Sunday evening. Concrete ideas, such as testing classes, variable start and end times, and spreading breaks, could limit the number of infections.

Unrest

The umbrella organization of secondary schools, the VO council, is not happy with Bruijning’s message. The umbrella writes on Twitter: “The VO council calls on experts to share their insights with the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) and not to draw attention to this via the media. The latter creates unnecessary unrest and raises more questions than answers. “

She says she gets a lot of questions about the News hourbroadcast. “Anyone can say anything they want, but if you want to have an effective discussion, do not do so via an individual expert but via the OMT”, a spokesperson told the VO council. “This is not helping us.”

The VO council has emphasized that all schools have been working hard for months to keep the schools open. “As an umbrella organization, we follow the OMT and the Cabinet’s advice, that’s all we can do. So weigh it up, come up with a well-considered advice and let the cabinet decide.”

Whether the OMT also talks about the number of infections in schools is not known, because the agenda of these meetings is not public.

Difference in approach

It is known that children from the age of 15 or 16 years become more seriously contagious if they contract the virus. Nevertheless, the superstructure may also remain open to date. “For the well-being, health and development of children,” the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) wrote at the time in an opinion.

Last week, several high schools sent classes home due to corona infections. Schools also seem to deal differently with corona cases in the classroom.

Together with the trade unions, the VO Council has drawn up a protocol with how schools should act in the event of a corona infection. It states: request advice from the regional GGD in case of contamination. “This also explains the difference in approach between the schools,” says the VO council. “Of course you prefer that the GGDs all give the same advice, but at the same time you also look at the local situation. In an area where there are many infections, a different advice follows.”

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