This Sunday, when it's time to prepare her son's schoolbag, in CE1 class in Paris, Émilie wonders if she will have to add "a pack of masks" to her notebooks, as she has been doing for months to protect him from Covid-19.
The answer is yes.
Even if the contamination curve is down and the epidemic is receding, students will have to floor masked on their table for another week.
“But the protocol has already been lightened and wearing a mask is no longer compulsory outdoors,” we remind the Ministry of National Education.
Schoolchildren will therefore be able to play tag or kick a ball at recess while breathing deeply.
It is in fact the entire health protocol that has been lightened, going from level three to level two.
The simplified contact case screening system
So of course, the head (fe) s of establishment will be required to maintain “reinforced measures for the ventilation of the premises and the washing of hands” but the rules limiting the mixing in the canteen are lightened.
As for sport, students will be able to practice it inside without being masked, provided they respect a distance.
Contact sports are not allowed without a mask.
What about possible contact cases?
Here too, the screening system is lightened.
The Ministry of Education has decided to remove the presentation of a certificate on parental honor of negative self-test.
“The control of these certificates was very time-consuming for the establishment managers” underlines the spokesperson for the teacher union Snuipp Guislaine David.
Another constraint lifted: students and staff will only have to carry out a single test (self-test or antigenic test) on D + 2 instead of three (on D, D + 2 and D + 4).
"This will allow much more flexibility" estimated the announcement of these measures the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer.
Teachers fear a new epidemic rebound
“At the end of our bi-monthly meeting with the unions and the Ministry of Health next Wednesday, we will make a new point to further develop the health protocol” we specify at the Ministry of Education, suggesting new reductions the following week in primary and secondary schools.
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“However, it will be necessary to be very careful because of the interactions and the promiscuity within a population of pupils who are not vaccinated and therefore remain easily contaminating, warns Guislaine David.
Last week, moreover, there were still 26,700 cases of infected students.
And the union representative to point the finger at the ambivalence that reigns within the teaching staff, divided between relief at the lifting of restrictions and fear of a return of Covid-19 in the classes.
“We all want to remove the mask indoors, to see the faces of the students and promote learning, continues Guislaine David.
But I am sure that some of our colleagues will still want to wear it despite everything for fear of a rebound of the epidemic via school as we already experienced a few months ago ”.