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Regardless of their place of residence, the same quarantine rules must apply to all students in one place. Rapid antigen testing will be taking place in schools in all districts soon.
A new coordinated strategy between the school and health authorities should make this possible, the two ministers said at a press conference in Vienna. It is a “revised general concept” that is supported by both departments, Anschober said.
“School is a safe place”
“School is a comparatively safe place,” Famann stressed with a view to the spread of the coronavirus. There are currently only seven closed schools in the whole of Austria. Among the 5,000 Covid 19 tests in schools to date, the proportion of positive results is only three percent. Regarding the start of school, he could not “agree at all with a general accusation of chaos,” Famann said. However, there will now also be a joint guide to uniform regulations for the departments of health and education.
For the Minister of Education, “rapid tests” remain the key to combat pandemics. In the future, schools could meet their reporting requirements more quickly, either by calling 1450 or using other channels in the federal states. According to Famann, “more efforts will be made to carry out the test within 24 hours.” Information on positive test results would reach the sites within 48 hours if possible. This should also reduce premature quarantine measures. If this is necessary, the “placement principle” now applies, which states that the same rules apply to all students in an institution, according to ministers.
Differentiation by age
Corona testing is not required for children under the age of ten in whose class there is a positive case. Even if they have previously had close contact with the person who tested positive, these students are listed as “Category II contact persons” and are not automatically quarantined. “It should differentiate here based on age,” Anschober said.
- Video: New Corona Guidelines in Schools – The Press Conference in Full:
In addition, the Ministry of Education will also make rapid antigen tests available to schools. “We have secured a large contingent,” Famann said. After the autumn holidays, a related pilot project will be launched in the districts of Mdling and in parts of Tyrol. After that, this possibility should exist in all districts. If the suspicion test carried out by the school doctor or a mobile team of doctors is positive, the health authority is informed, the child in question is sent home and the rest of the students continue to attend classes.
