Health Minister Jens Spahn wants to extend corona measures in schools

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Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn: "Millions of people are starting to move"

Photo: ANDREAS GORA / POOL / EPA

According to Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), corona measures in schools must be maintained for a longer period of time.

"We will not be able to go back to school completely without protective measures," he said at an online conference of the Evangelical Academy in Tutzing about the time after the summer vacation.

In autumn and winter, despite the currently very low incidence, measures such as mask compulsory or alternating instruction will probably still be necessary.

"Millions of people set in motion who would otherwise not move and meet," emphasized Spahn.

This could then become a "hub for households."

"We should make better use of summer time this time."

Mask requirement should remain

The Minister of Health had previously spoken out in favor of continuing to wear masks in schools.

Where many children come together who cannot yet be vaccinated, the mask requirement must continue, said Spahn.

He hoped that the education ministers of the federal states would find a uniform rule after the summer vacation.

"Masks are annoying, but compared to everything else, a fairly simple and tolerable measure."

In the past few days, several infections in schools had become known due to the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

The city administration of Dresden

had reported corona cases in three educational institutions.

The starting point is the infections of three siblings who visit these facilities.

"A specific PCR test has confirmed that it is the Delta variant in the three cases," the city explained.

Further outbreaks were reported in Hamburg and Hildesheim, around 150 children and all employees of a municipal daycare center had to be quarantined in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg.

rai / dpa