The high school graduates of the Schongau Welfen-Gymnasium should receive their certificates at a celebration on Friday.
However, it was canceled at the last moment.
Schongau
- students and parents had dressed up, were already waiting in the schoolyard of the Welfen-Gymnasium full of anticipation for the awarding of the high school diplomas - and then that: the celebration was postponed.
Because dozens of graduates who were on their Abitur in Croatia have to be in quarantine.
The call from the Weilheim-Schongau health department reached the school principal just a few minutes before the celebration on Friday.
"That is of course the GAU," said Rector Bernhard O'Connor.
"I can only apologize, I've never experienced anything like it." He feared the day before that the office might come forward.
A student from the neighboring district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen received the call on Thursday evening that she had to be quarantined.
Health department determines contact persons
"The investigative apparatus is running," said Erika Breu, press spokeswoman for the Weilheim-Schongau district office, when asked.
High school graduates from Weilheim and Schongau grammar school who had traveled to Croatia are affected.
The trip was organized privately - with the same organizer with which other graduates from Bavaria had traveled to Croatia.
So also from Geretsried.
Several students there had been infected with Corona.
The incidence value was around 30, the highest in Germany.
"On Thursday, the corona virus was detected again in a person in connection with the trip," reports a spokeswoman for the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.
No quarantine with vaccination
A total of 49 high school graduates from Weilheim and Schongau have now also been identified as contact persons.
According to the district office, around 80 percent of them have to be quarantined.
"The health department issued the order in the early morning of July 16, immediately after gaining knowledge of the possible contact persons," said the local newspaper when asked.
The affected high school graduates now have to take a PCR test.
"So far, about 20 percent of the people affected have been able to demonstrate complete vaccination protection and are therefore not subject to quarantine."
In the Weilheim-Schongau district office, people now fear a “rat tail” similar to that in Geretsried.
"But now we have to wait for the results first," said Breu.
More details will be available from Monday.
So far, there is no known positive case in the district in connection with the trip.
Graduation postponed
The participants in the Abitur trip have already been home for eight days and did not have to be quarantined when they returned.
"We were constantly tested during the trip, even after we returned," say several students who only found out about the quarantine in the schoolyard.
No test was positive.
Not even the day before, when everyone did a quick test for the service, says teacher Richard Schwarz.
With the high school graduates, their parents and the teaching staff at the Schongau Welfen-Gymnasium, some questions remained unanswered on Friday morning.
It was unclear, for example, whether the participants in the Abitur service on Thursday evening would also have to be in quarantine because they had contact with the Croatian returnees there - albeit with masks and distance.
Headmaster Bernhard O'Connor phoned the health department all morning to clarify the situation.
"If we also have to send these high school graduates home, only a few students remain for the celebration, for example only two in class 12a," said the deputy headmaster Hubert Orthuber finally explaining the decision to postpone the celebration.
July 26th is planned.
The classes should actually receive the certificates separately one after the other - as in the previous year.
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The first group was already there when the high school students of the Welfen-Gymnasium and their families learned of the quarantine and the postponement of the graduation ceremony.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
"Better to postpone than not to celebrate at all"
The decision was not met with great cheers.
Some angry parents vented their anger.
“But football is played in full stadiums,” shouted a mother.
"The general election is coming soon, so we know where to tick the box," one father grumbled.
"It doesn't make sense," said Jonathan Klein, who actually wanted to receive his testimony.
“But it's better to postpone it than not to celebrate at all.” The decision is particularly bitter for Paula Horner, among others.
She had deliberately decided not to take the trip so as not to take any risks.
Nevertheless, she cannot be present at the graduation ceremony - in a week she will be traveling, everything has already been booked.
In Weilheim, which, according to the district office, was also affected by the quarantine decision, the morning was completely different: 144 high school graduates all celebrated the awarding of certificates together with their parents.
The Schongau high school graduates also received their certificates: not very solemnly in the office.
Sometimes parents had to pick them up because the Croatian returnees were no longer allowed into the school building themselves.
"It's a strange feeling to hold the certificate in your hand, but still have to wait for the award," said Sofia Edinger.
Nevertheless, like most of them, she takes it calmly.
"Then stop on the 26."
