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Corona infection now increases more in young people ages 13 to 19. But in a new report, the government’s think tank warns of the consequences of stricter measures in schools.
“In order for services for children and youth to remain as normal as possible, the rest of society must tolerate stricter infection control measures. The goal is to reduce infection so much in society at large that we can protect children and the youth, ”the committee writes in the report, which will be presented on Thursday.
The Minister of Education, Guri Melby (V), is satisfied with the advice she receives.
– The threshold for closing or adjusting intervention levels in Norwegian kindergartens and schools should be high. I’m glad the think tank is so clear on this, he says.
The group warns of the consequences of closing schools, but also of raising the level of readiness to red, leading to strict restrictions on day-to-day school and kindergarten.
Also read: 195 new corona infections in Oslo in the last 24 hours
Increase more
The committee, which is chaired by Director Hege Nilssen in the Directorate of Education, has seen the development that FHI announced on Wednesday in its latest weekly report. The figures show that coronary heart disease increases in all age groups, but the increase is greater among adolescents.
The 13-19 age group now has the highest number of reported cases relative to the population.
– Rising infection rates in the 13-19 age group challenges the ambition for a low burden of action for children and young people. In situations of increased infection, it is critical to have good evaluations that balance consideration of the best for children and youth and consideration of infection control, the report states.
The expert group points out that there are many examples of private social events outside of school that lead to infection in children and young people, which in turn leads to stricter schools and kindergartens.
– The negative consequences of reduced offers aimed at children and young people are serious and well documented. Therefore, it is important that children and young people are saved from the strictest measures and can do so as much as possible in kindergarten and school, says Nilssen.
Intervening
The experts provide a number of advice to the government and local authorities in the report.
Among other things, they recommend that levels of red not be introduced into schools and kindergartens until measures have been tried in other parts of society to reduce infection. They also request that the stricter measures last no more than 14 days in a row, and that it only close a few days in cases where you need to get an overview of an outbreak.
– It is important to recognize that the red level of measures itself is so intrusive that it is not possible for schools to provide an equal offer that serves all children and young people in accordance with the regulatory framework, the report notes.
New round
The think tank was originally created when the government closed schools and kindergartens this spring, to assess the consequences of this. They recommended reopening, which the government did.
As the number of infections began to rise this fall, the government “revived” this committee, asking members to assess how infection control measures have affected schools and kindergartens and to come up with proposals for new measures. .
In addition to Nilssen in the Directorate of Education, the group consists of Director Mari Trommald at Bufdir, Chief Physician Margrethe Greve-Isdahl at the National Institute of Public Health and Department Director Ellen Margrethe Carlsen in the Directorate of Health.
In the latest report, they note that children do not appear to be the key drivers of COVID-19, but that the risk of becoming infected or infecting others increases with age.
– The data indicate that the majority of children and young people are infected within the family, and that the majority of cases are reported in areas with more widespread infection, says the committee.
(© NTB)
Data on infection control measures in schools and kindergartens
The government has introduced a traffic light model for infection control measures in schools and kindergartens. These are the measurements at the different levels:
Green level:
Normal school and kindergarten every day.
Yellow level:
* Kindergartens: entire neighborhoods are considered a cohort. Permanent employees by cohort. Avoid congestion and seek distance between cohorts. Divide up outdoor areas.
* Elementary schools: Entire classes are considered a cohort. Employees can switch between cohorts / classes. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Target your own areas in the schoolyard
* High Schools: Entire classes are considered a cohort. Staff can switch between groups / classes, but stay away from students if possible. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Keep your distance during breaks / free minutes.
* VGS: whole classes can have lessons together. Students must have permanent seats in each classroom or permanent partners / groups. Staff may alternate between classes, but should keep their distance from students as much as possible. Outside of the classroom, students and staff are encouraged to maintain a distance of one meter in all situations. Avoid congestion and large gatherings.
Red level:
* Kindergartens: Divide the children into smaller groups. Permanent employees by cohort. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Ensure the distance between the uncooperative cohorts. Divide the outdoor areas to keep the distance between the cohorts. Consider alternating attendance times for children.
* Elementary schools: divide classes into smaller groups. Permanent teachers for each cohort as far as possible. Strive to maintain a distance between students and staff. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Have separate areas in the schoolyard for different classes / cohorts during breaks / free time to reduce contact between different cohorts. Consider alternating student attendance times.
* High schools: divide classes into smaller groups. Cohorts must have regular classrooms. Employees must come to the classroom. Aim for a distance of one meter between students and staff. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Keep your distance during breaks / free time and avoid contact between different cohorts. Consider alternating student attendance times.
* VGS: Divide the students into smaller groups. At least one meter of distance between students / staff in all situations. Avoid congestion and large gatherings. Consider alternating student attendance times.
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