Belgium, Brussels: The education community and the Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts came to an agreement on the Covid-19 plan for the upcoming months on Wednesday night.
According to the agreement, face masks will no longer be obligatory for primary school students (ages 6 to 12), but they will still be an option for secondary school students (ages 13 to 18), but only if other social groups are also obliged to wear them.
Weyts spokeswoman Michal Devoldere stated, “The agreement says that the Government will not be allowed to enforce masks on elementary school students, but individual schools can still elect to demand them.
Along with this, if the requirement is reinstated for secondary schools, instructors will be permitted to remove their masks if there is enough ventilation or a sufficient distance between them and the students.
The agreement’s fundamental tenet is that schools should remain open as much as possible even when Covid-19 rates are rising across society. Local Government should only opt to suspend courses or shut down schools in extreme circumstances temporarily.
Devoldere said, “Classes or schools should only be closed in cases of force majeure, such as when an excessive number of instructors are ill.”
Moreover, “We believe that everyone is now aware of the harm caused by the first Covid waves’ school closures and that everyone understands that repeating these actions should only be the last choice.
Furthermore, the education sector requests that teachers, students, and parents stay home if they are sick to prevent more closures. Along with room ventilation and CO2 readings, the “Covid barometer” model’s four levels (green, yellow, orange, and red) will once more be used.
