Weekly saliva tests, wearing masks for students in the playground or stricter rules in the canteen: the Snuipp-FSU, the first primary union, on Tuesday asked for adjustments to the health protocol against Covid in schools, in the start of the school year.
"Children not being vaccinated in the classes, we need to find other systems to prevent contamination and the circulation of the virus between children," said the general secretary of Snuipp-FSU, Guislaine David, at the meeting. 'a press conference.
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According to her, "if we compare this return to that of last year, we are not at all in the same incidence rates: we recorded a rate of 128 against 30 (in 2020) for 0-9 year olds and a rate of 310 against 109 for 10-19 year olds ”.
Home saliva tests?
"Level 2 of the protocol announced by the Minister (Jean-Michel Blanquer) is therefore worrying because it is lightened compared to that of June, where the incidence rate was lower," she stressed.
"With this protocol, it's a safe bet that the school will be disrupted from the first weeks with a strong circulation of the Delta variant".
Guislaine David proposed to strengthen the testing strategy to stop the contamination.
"Could we not do as some European countries, Austria for example, and set up systematic weekly saliva tests at home, in addition to massive tests, to have knowledge on the circulation of blood? virus?
She asked herself.
"A communication campaign should be carried out so that parents can understand the need to have this type of test carried out because last year, the acceptance rate had only reached 60%".
Unclear rules in the canteen
Another “blind spot” of the protocol according to Guislaine David: the canteen.
"There are no well-defined and strict enough rules for school catering when it will be necessary to ensure physical distancing and avoid mixing," she warned.
She also insisted on wearing the mask outdoors.
“This point is also problematic because in this protocol, the children no longer wear the mask outdoors, but we know that there are moments of recreation when the students gather together, they play very closely together, more than they were in the street ”.
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She also pointed out the ventilation of the classes, regretting that "Jean-Michel Blanquer does not develop financing for the purchase of Co2 sensors".
