The new school year begins in a good ten weeks.
The debate about air filters to protect against corona is heated in Bavaria - and time is of the essence.
Munich - The new school year begins in Bavaria in around ten weeks.
For some it seems a long way off, for others it is a headache.
Because a lot still has to happen by September in order to prepare Bavaria's schools for the next Corona * wave.
Corona in Bavaria: Heated debate about air filters in schools - race against time
The delta variant is spreading, which also makes the fight against the pandemic * a race against time in Bavaria. On the one hand, experts and politicians are more or less successful in calling for vaccinations * - on the other hand, there is still a lack of solutions for the best possible protection of those who cannot be vaccinated. The dilemma is particularly evident in the debate about air filters in schools and kindergartens.
It shows that, despite all assurances, the experiences from the first three waves of infections and almost 18 months of pandemic do not lead to identical conclusions: The state government had hardly changed these days - and thus only around ten weeks before the new school and kindergarten year - Having managed to cover up to 50 percent of the acquisition costs of air filter systems, the municipalities actually responsible for the school equipment are often questioning the strategy.
Brandl criticizes: Do air filters even reduce the viral load?
Bavaria's local council president Uwe Brandl (CSU) not only criticized the costs for the cities and communities in a radio interview, but also questioned the meaning: “And what bothers us the most is the fact that we have not yet received any reliable evidence about it whether these room air filters actually make a significant contribution to reducing the viral load. ”Statements that could unsettle parents in the heated debate. The Bavarian Ministry of Health cannot understand Brandl's criticism that it is not justified, says a spokesman at the request of the German Press Agency in Munich. “Air filters are an essential component in getting schools fit for the coming school year. They are a useful addition to regular ventilation,to reduce the aerosol load and thus the risk of infection in the classroom. "
Corona in Bavaria: Ministry of Health rejects Brandl criticism
And further: "In view of the contagious Delta variant, our aim is to take precautions to keep a fourth wave as flat as possible." can be vaccinated, protection must be strengthened.
“Air filters are a useful, helpful and complementary element.
The aim is to enable classroom teaching and to protect the children as much as possible. "
Minister of Culture Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) and State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU *) had made a similar statement on Tuesday.
The air filters are a "very important pillar" to make the classroom fit for autumn, especially when continuous ventilation is no longer possible due to autumn storms and cold, wet weather.
Corona: Heated air filter debate in Bavaria
As a reminder: the state government is providing around 190 million euros to equip around 60,000 classrooms and 50,000 rooms in kindergartens with mobile filter systems. The fact that it should be mobile devices is less due to their special suitability than to the lack of time. Because: The installation of permanently installed systems is not feasible until autumn. Therefore, the state government has to put up with the accusation that it has pushed for other solutions here in the past few months. Even the acquisition of mobile filters is unlikely to be successful everywhere by autumn due to the mandatory tendering process.
But it is also a fact that it was many municipalities themselves that blocked themselves against air filters for a long time and are only now rethinking, as in the example of Munich. Brandl, who is also the mayor of the Lower Bavarian town of Abensberg, has now described the debate as being so emotionally charged that “you don't need to start with rational considerations”. And complains: The municipalities were also taken by surprise by the decision: "Nobody spoke to us." But does a municipality have to be approached at all, to enable everything that is technically feasible in order to guarantee infection protection in schools? For many parents and teachers, this is a matter of course, and this attitude also causes heads to shake in the state government.
Even if Bavaria's municipalities have massively lost tax revenues in the pandemic, the proportionate investments in the filters should not drive them to ruin, as the opposition in the state parliament likes to claim.
As a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation showed, the municipalities even raised more money in the first year of the crisis thanks to the gigantic aid funds from the federal and state governments.
And only on Wednesday did the Free State promise them a further 10.44 billion euros as part of the financial equalization for 2022.
Coronavirus: What happens after the summer vacation
By the way: The most important stories from the Free State are now also available in our brand new, regular Bayern newsletter.
Fourth corona wave threatens: "The risk of school closings again must be reduced"
"Since, in the opinion of many experts, a fourth wave of pandemics is clearly heralding itself in the fall and there are only 10 weeks left before the start of the new school year, the risk of school closings again with these scientifically proven devices must be reduced under all circumstances." The chairman of the association said the teacher at vocational schools (VLB), Pankraz Männlein. Since it is about the health and life of people, the financing issues must be clarified as soon as possible.
(
kam / dpa)
* Merkur.de / bayern is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA