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Pressure on the government to close schools due to the escalating pandemic has taken several steps at once. In writing and by voice, this Tuesday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recalled the “almost unanimity” of the experts on the advantage of finishing face-to-face classes from the age of 12 and scheduled the “reflection” for Tuesday, in Infarmed. .
With doctors speaking of “catastrophe”, teachers unions pressing and PSD pressing the tone – and in the face of 218 deaths in a single day – António Costa already admits to closing schools, if the English strain of the virus becomes dominant.
The JN asked the prime minister’s office how many infections by the new strain this decision will cause, but there was no response. When evaluating the information from the last meeting in Infarmed, it is possible that the level has already been reached.
Óscar Felgueiras, a mathematician specialized in epidemiology at the University of Porto, told JN that the Unilabs laboratory detected the variant in 8% of the tests.
“Even weighing 10% of the new English variant, the Rt [indicador que mede o grau de transmissibilidade do vírus] it rises 0.04, that is, 5% more “, he calculates. An Rt with a value greater than 1 means that the number of infections continues to increase. The English variant can double its presence in Portugal” in little more than a week and media “The Ricardo Jorge National Institute (INSA) has followed the evolution of the strain, but only in the next few days will it reveal its prevalence.
39 thousand confined students
In Parliament yesterday, the Prime Minister insisted that “the cost” of closing the schools would be paid “within ten years” and recalled that today the massive tests of students, teachers and non-teaching personnel begin. The goal is to detect outbreaks of infection before they develop into outbreaks.
On Monday there were 78 active outbreaks in schools, from kindergartens to higher education, according to the General Directorate of Health. To the deputies, António Costa added that 13 schools are closed (out of a total of 5,000) and there are 39 thousand confined students (out of a total of more than one million).
The prime minister admitted, however, that “it is very likely that we will have to close schools” if the English strain of the virus becomes dominant. “At that moment, you can even say that I took a step back,” he said, addressing Adão Silva (PSD).
The Social Democrats have been the most vocal political force in this demand. To JN, David Justino, vice president of the PSD, said that the party did not discuss a possible withdrawal of support for the renewal of the state of emergency at the end of this month. At that point, he believes, “the schools are sure to have already closed.” But only after the spread is out of control. “We are going to chase the loss.”
Transmitting children
Principals of public schools, universities, and parents continue to want face-to-face classes, but teacher unions have stepped up pressure to close.
They are joined by many doctors, such as Maria José Brito, director of infectious diseases at the Dona Estefânia children’s hospital in Lisbon. On Tuesday, on TVI24, he revealed that he defends the end of face-to-face classes, among other things because he finds in the youngest “those asymptomatic” who spread the virus without knowing it. “We all have to stay home. We all,” he said.
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