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Karl Lauterbach (on September 21)
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Christoph Hardt / imago images / Future Image
A little over two weeks ago, the Robert Koch Institute reported an early accumulation of corona outbreaks in schools and daycare centers.
Now the SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach has also spoken out and warned of the sharp rise in the number of corona infections in children.
"After the autumn break, we will see significantly more outbreaks in schools because the children can no longer ventilate," he told the editorial network Germany (RND).
Lauterbach advocates a nationwide uniform test strategy in schools.
The SPD politician demanded: »Test three times a week, that would be my suggestion, in the morning with antigen tests, because these detect the prevailing delta variant very reliably.
In addition, five test days in a row for contact persons of infected people. «This could practically end the uncontrolled pandemic in schools.
Children who have had contact with infected people do not have to be in quarantine.
Several federal states, including Bavaria at the beginning of the month, had recently abolished the mask requirement for schoolchildren.
But caution is not only required in schools, said Lauterbach: “There will also be chains of infection in companies.
The same goes for bars and restaurants.
We can expect a continuous increase. "
Union sees schools prepared
According to Lauterbach, a federal-state resolution on a uniform approach is needed.
"I feel sorry for the children who are now at risk of long covid," he told the newspapers.
"The fact that we are now stopping testing in many places with the numbers increasing is completely unacceptable," he added.
Maike Finnern, chairwoman of the Education and Science Union, sees the schools prepared for a second Corona autumn.
"Viewed nationwide, schools are better positioned this autumn in terms of health prevention than they were a year ago," said Finnern to the RND.
The vaccination rate among the employees in the schools is extremely high.
"If the prevention path is continued consistently, the schools can remain open".
Outbreak at the Waldorf school in Freiburg
Finnern criticized that many schools were still not equipped with air filters.
"There is an urgent need for action here," said the GEW chairwoman.
On Friday it became known that a corona outbreak had occurred at the Waldorf School in Freiburg's St. Georgen district.
As of Thursday, 44 cases had been registered, including 30 schoolchildren, a teacher and 13 follow-up cases in families and among the public, as the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district office confirmed on Friday.
So far, no severe courses are known.
The outbreak is attributed to several circus performances held at the school between October 8 and 10.
jok / AFP
