The lifting of the mask requirement in elementary schools was controversial from the start.
Since then, the number of infections has increased significantly.
The Senator of Education has now drawn the necessary conclusions.
Berlin - After it was only lifted in the week before the autumn break, the mask requirement in the first to sixth grades at Berlin schools is now back. Education Senator Sandra Scheeres (SPD) decided after a meeting of the hygiene advisory board on Monday afternoon in view of the increasing number of infections, as the education administration announced on Monday. In high schools from grade seven, the mask requirement continued to apply anyway. Before the holidays there were considerations to keep them there as well. Nothing has come of it now.
In addition, for the time being there will still be three corona tests a week in schools for schoolchildren.
Both measures are to be implemented during the week, according to the education administration.
Originally, the number of three tests was planned for the first two weeks after the autumn vacation in order to increase the chance of discovering corona cases attributable to returnees more quickly.
Then there should be two tests a week again.
However, there has always been criticism of this regulation.
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Scheeres had expressly advocated the controversial lifting of the mask requirement in elementary schools before the holidays and justified this with the restrictions for younger children, for example when learning to read.
Regarding her reassessment after the meeting of the hygiene committee, she said: "I did not make this decision easy for myself because I know how much stress children can have with wearing a mask."
State Parents' Committee Chairman Norman Heise said the decision to return to the mask requirement is understandable given the very worrying numbers, but regrettable for the students.
"Because they are again the only group who have to deal with further measures, since others do not follow the rules or do not decide to have a vaccination."
Reinhard Bartezky from the professional association of paediatricians added that it was important to vaccinate significantly more to ensure that schools did not close again.
“In no other area of public life is there as much testing as in schools.
This means that positive cases are discovered here much earlier and more frequently, ”he said.
“All of this serves to keep the schools open.
Because children and young people suffered to a particularly high degree from the school closings. ”Dpa