Scenarios at a glance – school starts in the fall with no tests and mask requirement

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In all likelihood, the coming school year should start for students and teachers without tests and the obligation to wear mouth caps. It is still being discussed whether additional safety measures at the schools will be necessary in the current pandemic situation. In principle, the variant management plan applies. Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) will announce the specific regulations for the autumn on 29 August.

In the variant management plan of the federal government, this is only provided for in the transition to or in scenario 3 (“adverse case”), the ministry emphasizes. The final coordination with the health department is currently underway.

The past school year had begun with a three-week “safety phase” – at the time with the Delta variant, which was associated with more severe disease progression than Omicron: during this time, a Covid test had to be taken three times a week and an outside class had to be tested. mask are worn. Due to the wave of the more contagious omicron variant, these measures were eventually extended until the end of February. Masks were mandatory until early May, and regular tests were conducted until early June.

However, this time the school start will likely be the same as it was before the pandemic. The overarching goal in education is – just like in other areas of life – to learn to live with Corona. “Restrictions must therefore be reduced to an absolute minimum and be consistent with regulations in other areas of life.”

Scenario 2 probably
The document regulates the further procedure in four different scenarios. According to the Ministry of Health, the current scenario is scenario 2: a weakening of the pandemic in the longer term, with a seasonal wave of infection in autumn/winter 2022/23 – with a magnitude and severity comparable to the previous ommicron waves. In the schools, only antigen rapid testing or a time-limited mask requirement is allowed on site.

According to the Ministry of Education, it is not possible for the states to introduce stricter rules than at the federal level. In the best case scenario, you could rely on students or teachers to use the commonly available tests.

Regular PRC testing (once a week) is only foreseen in the Variant Management Plan when transitioning to Scenario 3 with a major wave of infection with a new variant of concern. If scenario 3 occurs, there is also a general obligation to wear face masks outside the classroom. Masks can then be ordered in the classroom for a limited time everywhere, except at primary school. Children and adolescents for whom an infection can be particularly dangerous may stay away from the classroom during this phase upon presentation of a medical certificate.

In scenario 4 (“very unfavorable case”: intensification of the pandemic with a lot of infections and hospital admissions) standard mouth and nose protection must be worn in the lower classes and FFP2 masks in the upper classes. Multi-day school events with overnight stays are suspended.

Source: Krone

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