Minister: The infection situation in the day care center is tense

Created: 02/10/2022 13:22

Several bobby cars are on the playground of a kindergarten.

© Christian Charisius/dpa/symbol image

The infection situation in child day care in North Rhine-Westphalia remains tense.

Even if the data situation in the omicron wave can no longer be fully recorded, the visible new infection rates have been stable for two weeks, said NRW Family Minister Joachim Stamp (FDP) on Wednesday in the specialist committee of the Düsseldorf state parliament.

Düsseldorf – According to the reports available so far, 793 of a total of 10,600 daycare centers in NRW had to partially close in January due to Corona and 269 completely.

So far in February there have been 170 partial and 49 complete closures.

In January, 22,151 children and 12,733 employees were reported to the state youth welfare offices as being corona-infected, Stamp reported.

In February there were 1223 children and 286 employees.

In addition, 110 youth welfare offices reported 627 temporary closures in child day care for the 5th calendar week due to quarantine.

Stamp appealed to all parties to analyze the situation with "more objectivity and professionalism" and not to stir up fears among the citizens.

That is why he brought together renowned scientists with parent representatives, trade unionists and daycare providers last Monday, the minister reported.

"The experts agree that severe courses in children due to a corona infection are the absolute exception," said Stamp.

An infection with the corona virus does not necessarily mean that a child will also contract Covid-19.

"In many children, the infection is asymptomatic."

Those who fell ill usually had a mild course with flu-like effects, cough and runny nose - often milder than other respiratory infections.

Previous data confirms that 60 percent of children with a corona infection in hospitals are under one year old.

"Often because infants are more likely to be taken to a hospital for symptoms to be checked, or because extra care is taken with preterm infants," Stamp said.

"The vast majority of children leave the hospital after just a day or two." The study situation also suggests that long-term effects of Covid, especially for under-sixes, play an absolutely subordinate role compared to adults.

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Restrictions on care times would have to be weighed very carefully against other potential damages, Stamp warned.

The experts had reported that restrictions in the children's social life increasingly led to obesity, mental illness and addictive behavior.

"These risks exceed the risks of a corona infection many times over," emphasized the minister.

The SPD MP Dennis Maelzer called on Stamp to give the municipal daycare providers more freedom to react flexibly to the infection situation on site instead of telling them everything centrally.

dpa