More than 10,000 students in quarantine in Flanders

The return effect of holidaymakers on the corona figures is coming to an end, Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA) hopes. More than 10,000 students are currently in quarantine. It is remarkable that the corona figures in primary education are increasing, while the trend in secondary education is declining.

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10,533 students and 417 staff were quarantined between Monday 13 September and Sunday 26 September. This is announced by the cabinet of Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts. This concerns 0.88 percent of the total number of students in Flanders and 0.25 percent of the Flemish teaching staff. An infection was detected in 3,835 students and 372 staff members.

For reference, between September 1 and 12, 5,322 students and 240 staff were quarantined. The cabinet attributes the rising figures to infections via people returning from vacation. The increase was highest in the third week of September. ‘We are keeping a close eye on whether the downward trend in the fourth week of September will continue,’ says Weyts.

There is also a difference in education levels: in secondary education the figures are falling, while the figures in primary education have increased further. The decrease in secondary education is probably due to the higher vaccination coverage among teenagers. According to the most recent figures, 84 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds in Flanders have already received at least one shot.

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