[ad_1]
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) did not decide on Thursday whether the government could order more school closures due to persistently high levels of new Covid infections. At a press conference on Thursday, Anschober referred to the planned examination of the effects of the current measures: “I have always said that we will start evaluating after 10 days. Today we have the 10th.”
According to Anschober, not only the infection rate in schools is taken into account, but also the effects that other measures would have on the “general system”. The “great success in spring with the closure at that time” was, from the point of view of the Minister of Health, a success because it resulted in a “drastic reduction of contacts and meeting situations.”
Reduction in “exercise intensity” achieved in spring
In the spring, “exercise intensity” was cut from half to a quarter, Anschober said. We will now look at all areas to see how many cases of infection occur in a given area and how these areas affect exercise intensity, from gastronomy to retail to schools, Anschober outlined the evaluation criteria for other measures.
Education Minister Heinz Faßmann (ÖVP) had emphasized on Wednesday that the issue of school closures is now in the hands of Anschober and the government.
Anchober left it open when new measures could be decided. In any case, the hospital capacity forecast calculations should also be included in the decision. The main problem here is the availability of intensive care beds. These numbers are reported every morning, so not only is the number of beds available (or the question of how many beds can be reassigned for corona patients) evaluated, but also how many illnesses are among the medical staff.
Opposing alternatives to school closings
Rarely has the opposition been so unanimous: “Closing schools should be the last path for everyone,” says Neos club president Beate Meinl-Reisinger. “School closures are the opposite of precision and effectiveness,” says SPÖ federal party chair Pamela Rendi-Wagner, but rather a measure “with little benefit that brings enormous harm.” – “Schools have to stay open. We owe it to our children,” says FPÖ education spokesperson Hermann Brückl.
The mass of statements is due to discussions in recent days about renewed school closings as in March. Education Minister Heinz Fassmann (ÖVP) brought the hot potato of the decision to the highest government and Health Minister Rudolf Anschober on Wednesday. So far, however, no one has given a clear yes, much less a specific date. In any case, there are about 700,000 children between the ages of six and 15 out of a total of 1.1 million students in compulsory schools and their parents and teaching staff; Seniors in high school are already learning from home again.
Decide based on evidence
Neos boss Meinl-Reisinger advocates postponing the decision on new measures until a moment “after the weekend.” Currently there is no database, the government should eliminate the “numerical chaos” about the infection situation beforehand. There is already a “broad front” against school closings, including calls for alternative paths in view of the massive consequences for children, jobs, the economy and the psyche, the “Wiener Zeitung” reported. “There are more forgiving means that we can use,” says Meinl-Reisinger.
Martina Künsberg, spokesperson for Neos Education, is in favor of FFP2 masks for all teachers, an expanded mask requirement for students. To make groups smaller, additional rooms are needed for schools, such as “flying classrooms” in congregation ballrooms, teachers’ rooms in hotels. The Neos also suggest different school starts and shorter intervals for school buses.
SPÖ boss Rendi-Wagner also wants evidence-based decisions, including that “contact tracing works again, this is our most important weapon.” Cluster studies and analysis have so far shown that school-age children are not a major source of virus spread. “Children under the age of 14 are not the ones spreading. Less than three percent of the groups come from schools,” added SPÖ education spokeswoman Sonja Hammerschmid.
Smaller groups and tests
The SPÖ calls for a “smart and effective security concept to be implemented together with schools.” Such a testing strategy should be included for schools, with mobile teams collecting gargle tests, which should be available in all schools, to get test results within 24 hours. Like the tourism industry and nursing staff, educators should be included in the screening program with rapid antigen tests and undergo thorough testing once a week. In addition, FFP2 masks, explanations about ventilation, which is sufficient every 20 minutes, and tests of classroom air purification systems, which are already used in Germany, also require FFP2 masks.
The FPÖ is expanding the range of alternatives to include staggered school starts, larger rooms and the division into morning and afternoon classes. FPÖ education spokesman Brückl also orders the government to do everything possible to keep schools open, if “Chancellor Kurz closes schools, Federal Minister Fassmann is also willing to resign.” (crazy, apa)
