Thousands of students may have returned to school yesterday, Monday, despite the outbreak of the coronavirus, but the big bet for the government and the school community in the near future is to reduce school contagion as much as possible so that they remain open.

Government officials and the leadership of the Ministry of Education are defending the decision to open schools, with an increased number of tests on children and at the same time reassure those who predict significant problems in the operation of schools, saying that there is a plan to fill the vacancies that will arise from the teachers who will get sick.

The plan to fill the gaps

As government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said yesterday, there are expected to be teacher vacancies in schools – which have appeared since the first day of reopening – and for this reason there will be reshuffles and reorganizations in the program as well as recruitment since teachers are in quarantine due to illness. As early as yesterday, Monday, as it became known, 850 recruitments were made.

At the same time, as he noted, there is always the possibility of distance learning. So far, 50 departments have been put into distance learning throughout Greece.

The teachers who came out positive in the self test are 2,500 while according to information the gaps are much more as there are many who are sick.

More than 15,000 cases from the start

However, the return of the students, which was accompanied by the necessary self tests, brought over 15,000 cases with among students and teachers.

Many scientists fear that with the opening of the schools there will be an explosion of cases and dispersal in the community, but others stress that this will make a better detection.

Occupations and work stoppage

Meanwhile, with squatting, abstentions and work stoppages, began on the first day of operation of the schools in 2022. Teacher’s union OLME held a two-hour work stoppage with a gathering outside the Ministry of Education, denouncing the opening of schools without the appropriate protection measures.

For the same reason,  some schools in Attica and Thessaloniki were occupied by squats and from some students just abstained.

What happens if a case is found in the classroom

In the event of an covid case in the classroom, the whole class will be screened, and not just the students sitting close to the case, as has been done so far. All unvaccinated students will have a free test every day for 5 days.

Specifically, they will do two rapid and one self test in five days, in addition to the two constant self tests per week, so 5 tests in 5 days. Vaccinated students will undergo a total of 3 free self tests on those days.

As for the teachers, those unvaccinated will also do 5 tests in 5 days: two rapid and a self test, in addition to the two rapid tests that they already do per week in case of a case. The vaccinated teachers will do 3 self tests for free per week.

“Window” for review of measures

At the same time, the government, the Ministry of Education and experts will monitor the spread of the coronavirus in the school community on a daily basis, and it is not ruled out – if necessary – that some measures for the schools will be revised.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Ms Minas Gaga, as well as the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Ms. Zetta Makri, made statements on this issue yesterday.

The first stated that “we are always ready to review the measures and we are always ready” while the second stressed that “if we see that because of Omicron it is necessary to change the 50 + 1 protocol, it will change”.

As the Deputy Minister of Health said, speaking to ANT1, “we are always ready to review the measures and we are always on standby”.