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The mask: annoying or necessary?
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Matthias Balk / dpa
For months, the mask belonged in the school bag like the lunch box.
From Monday, many children and young people will be able to do without mouth and nose covers, because then the mask requirement in schools in most federal states will be removed.
"If the mask requirement falls in almost all areas of society, this must also apply to children and young people and schools," argues Karin Prien, Minister of Education in Schleswig-Holstein and President of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK).
In the current situation in particular, it is a matter of treating the students preferentially instead of making them worse off than other parts of society, said the minister.
Prien refers to the new legal basis of the traffic light coalition, which provides for a significant relaxation of corona protection in Germany.
It was passed against the opposition of several prime ministers.
The transition period ends on April 2nd.
After that, testing should continue in the schools, but masks may no longer be prescribed here, unless a federal state declares a region a so-called hotspot, where this would still be possible.
Massive criticism from teachers' associations: "Completely premature"
In the past two years, the countries have repeatedly issued stricter, sometimes looser rules for masks in schools, always accompanied by massive controversy, as was the case this time.
Sharp criticism comes from teachers' associations.
"With the incidence values in schools still being extremely high, the end of the mask requirement means ending the simplest health protection for employees, children and young people and their parents," says Maike Finnern, Chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW).
She fears that the end of the mask requirement will result in even more infections, further cancellations of lessons and growing learning deficits.
'It's irresponsible.
The schools are left alone by politics.«
The chairman of the Education and Training Association (VBE), Udo Beckmann, warned that timetables should already be shortened and learning groups merged.
"There will inevitably be more absences, and the participation of the students in the lessons will be endangered."
Against the background of the continuing high rate of infection among children and young people, it is “irresponsible” that masks are no longer compulsory in schools.
"With the current shortage of staff, we cannot afford to give up such effective infection control measures," says Beckmann.
Heinz-Peter Meidinger, President of the German Teachers' Association, also finds the abolition "completely premature".
He also referred to parents of previously ill children and families with at-risk people in the household.
They were "rightly concerned that the schools will now finally be released for contamination".
more on the subject
Corona rules: hotspot or not?
What are the individual states planning?
SPIEGEL Education Newsletter: Now tell me, how do you feel about the mask? By Miriam Olbrisch
Corona loosening vs. increasing incidence: Dispute about the mask
School and protection against infection: The masks must fallA comment by Jan Friedmann
Germany has almost eleven million schoolchildren.
Among them there were around 347,000 cases of infection and quarantine in the past week, as reported by the KMK.
According to this, 36,400 corona and quarantine cases were reported by teachers from the federal states.
There are almost 900,000 teachers nationwide.
The figures published weekly only provide a rough overview.
Complete data are not available for all countries.
In the first two weeks of February, schoolchildren reached highs with almost 550,000 corona and quarantine cases.
At that time, 28,200 cases were known among teachers.
»Hotspots«: Hamburg and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
In Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Lower Saxony, the end of the mask requirement in schools will only take effect in two weeks, after the Easter holidays.
Berlin already abolished the mask requirement in schools this Friday.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg want to use the hotspot option.
In the Hanseatic city, the mask requirement in the school building remains.
However, as of Monday, students and teachers may take off their masks when they are sitting in their class.
The rule is comparable to the regulations in restaurants: “Anyone who takes their seat may remove their mask.
If you walk around, you have to put on the mask," the school senate announced.
School senator Ties Rabe admits that this regulation is more cautious than most other countries, but it still makes things significantly easier for those involved in the school.
Concentrated learning, listening and speaking in particular are often very restricted by the mask: “Anyone who wants can now take off the mask more often.”
fok/dpa