Schools are bypassed in new infection control rules – VG

Steffen Handal accuses the government of having locked out school and kindergarten employees in the new tightening of infection control guidelines.

– In a time of increasing infection among children and young people, more teachers are also being infected. Teachers are now being told to limit the number of people they have close contact with privately, but who can meet between 100 and 150 students for a week. This is not connected, says the leader of the Education Association Steffen Handal to VG.

It has mainly received feedback from lower secondary and upper secondary teachers.

Handal records that neither FHI, the Norwegian Health Directorate, nor the government have consulted with the Education Association, which represents 183,000 teachers, kindergarten teachers and school leaders before the new infection control measures were released.

– If people in the school do not understand these new measures, this will erode trust, warns Handal, who is already used to the government gaining legitimacy and anchor before new measures are implemented.

The new measures reinforce, among other things, how many close contacts people can have during a week.

The government holding a press conference to clarify the new restrictions at 2 pm:

But in schools and kindergartens there will be no changes this time. This has caused concern among teachers, who teach several classes weekly and have contact with more than 100 students.

Teacher Ingerid Sofie Oppedal, who calls herself the Eyewear Educator on Twitter, is infected by the corona. On Monday, he spontaneously posted a tweet while watching the government press conference: “Trying to tweet here I’m sitting in isolation. He’s sick and angry. Infected at work.”

Oppedal is one of many teachers who teach several different classes each week at his school. In practice, this means close contact with more than 100 students.

Steffen Handal worries that for authorities to work with important information, it must appear logical and be understood.

He believes that the reasons for the new measures are not well known or understood. Therefore, he understands the concern expressed by both the Educator of Glasses and the rest of the teachers.

– What I fear now is that poor infection control in schools and kindergartens will lead more children, young people and teachers into quarantine. It is very unfortunate.

– How is the distance rule practiced in schools where there are often large gatherings in classrooms and premises?

– It goes without saying that it is not possible to maintain distance rules in a normal classroom with up to 30 students. Therefore, it provokes many teachers when the government does not listen to this concern and continues as before, Handal responds.

Education Minister Guri Melby responds to Handal in an email to VG on Wednesday morning:

– I know many teachers wonder why you can only meet five in private, while they can teach more than a hundred students at work. But there is a reason for that. The government has tightened measures in other parts of society so that we can keep kindergartens and schools open. By limiting the total number of contacts, we help reduce infection. When everyone only knows five people privately, we make room for teachers to get to know their students, Melby writes.

Remember that there is little spread of the infection in kindergartens and schools, also in secondary schools.

– The introduction of stricter measures will do a lot of harm to many children and young people, continues Melby.

– What measurements do you miss, Steffen Handal?

– It is difficult for me, as an expert in non-infection control, to make specific requirements. But in our survey earlier this fall, school leaders clearly say that schools should be compensated for their extra expenses by the crown. It is possible to consider smaller groups of students, in the worst case in combination with more enrollment at home. What happened on Monday gave the biggest impression that they want to run infection control on cheap sales. It doesn’t work, says Handal.

He believes that now there is a new situation in the corona process. And in such a situation, the parties should sit down and talk together. Create a consensus for new measures.

– Only then can we achieve the necessary peace at school. In fact, the Work Environment Law states that everyone, including teachers, must have a safe and secure work environment. So there must be better infection control in schools and kindergartens.

In one of several teacher groups on social media, a teacher writes:

“Now” I “should not have collections with more than 5 pieces privately, at the same time that I am in a classroom with 25 students every day. In this classroom, the meter should not be observed even while on the yellow level There is no logic in this. “

Melby: Most people get infected at home

– Why is infection control in schools not being considered more in relation to the toughening of the government, Guri Melby?

– We follow the advice of the health authorities who say it is safe to have open kindergartens and schools, even when the level of infection is current. Fortunately, there is little infection in kindergartens and schools, and we have had good experiences keeping them open safely. In the cases of contagion found, most have been infected at home, Melby responds.

He points out that they are rarely contagious between students, but that contagion between employees occurs as in other workplaces, but that adults can prevent it by keeping their distance from other colleagues.

– Why hasn’t the government been in contact with the Education Association before the tightening and recommendations that were presented on Monday?

– The measures that were launched on Monday were mainly aimed at limiting infection in private contexts and infection through labor immigration, where we see that the challenges have been greater, Melby responds that due to the low rates of contagion in schools and kindergartens has not seen it as relevant. with new measures there, and therefore did not consult the employers and workers of the sector at this time.

He also writes that students and staff are quickly quarantined when the infection is known.

The Minister of Education rejects that it is again relevant to address a new school closure period.

– Basically, this is not relevant. The fact that we can keep schools and kindergartens open is important for the development, well-being and learning of children and young people. The tips in the infection control guides for schools and kindergartens also cover the rise in infections. If we are all good at following local and national councils, we can keep schools and kindergartens open even in the event of a spike in infection, according to Melby.