"A new deal."
The expansion of the British variant of SARS-COV-2 across Europe
"could change our doctrine if we had to contain the surge of the virus"
at the origin of the Covid-19 epidemic, said Sunday January 10 Jean-Michel Blanquer, in “Le Grand Jury RTL-
Le Figaro
- LCI”.
But
"for the moment this is not the case,"
said the Minister of National Education.
Read also: Covid-19: why the English variant risks making the epidemic uncontrollable in France
The executive does not exclude
"additional national measures"
in the event of a deterioration in the health situation, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday, January 7, without however uttering the word "re-containment".
Cautious, Jean-Michel Blanquer is careful not to advance too much.
"We do not reject any solution in advance
,
"
he warns, reaffirming his objective:
"to keep children in school as much as possible"
.
A slogan implemented during the second confinement, according to the stated desire to reduce social inequalities and support the economy by allowing parents to work.
For priority vaccination of teachers
"Our compass is to say that the last thing that there would be to close in the event of tightening of measures, is the school"
, insists the Minister of National Education, eager to organize a year school as unstable as possible despite the epidemic.
In this regard, the first baccalaureate exams, scheduled for March, are maintained
"at this stage"
,
"in the interest of the students,"
he said.
Read also: Covid-19: British experts point to the worrying role of children and schools in the circulation of the virus
Based on the health protocol established in schools, the minister maintains that
"the school environment is not more contaminated than the rest of society".
However, 12-16 year olds are seven times more likely than those over 17 to introduce Covid-19 into a household, according to a recent report by SAGE, a group of scientific experts who advises the government British.
Read also: Educational software makes its way into school
As a
"precaution"
, the minister still wants teachers, in contact with children and adolescents, to be
"among the first"
professions to be vaccinated, when the general public vaccination campaign begins, scheduled for late spring.
By the
"first half of 2021"
, indicates Jean-Michel Blanquer, without risking to mention a more precise deadline.
One million tests in secondary school in January
The government also intends to develop screening for Covid-19 in schools.
A million tests - mostly antigenic - are announced in January,
"mainly"
in colleges and high schools,
"more exceptionally"
in primary schools.
This device, "extended" to "everyone" in schools, will be
"renewed in February"
, he warns.
Read also: Why Blanquer wants to vaccinate teachers as a priority
Since mid-December, 10,000 tests have been carried out on the staff of the National Education.
Among them, only 0.3% have tested positive, according to figures released in early January by the ministry.
Regional: Blanquer waits for February to decide a candidacy in Île-de-France
In preparation for a perilous campaign in Île-de-France for the regional elections, scheduled for June, Jean-Michel Blanquer has announced that he will decide on a possible candidacy in February.
"I am totally dedicated to the fight against the epidemic in the school part,"
said the minister, who has never run for an elected mandate.
"The issue of regional is very important"
, particularly because of the role of the regions in the implementation of the economic recovery plan,
"but it is not in the minds of the French today, and rightly"
, did he declare.
