Government is under maximum pressure to close schools

The pressure on the Government to close schools due to the escalation of the pandemic has taken several steps at once. In writing and by voice, on Tuesday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recalled the “almost unanimity” of the experts on the advantage of ending face-to-face classes from the age of 12 and scheduled the “reflection” for Tuesday, at Infarmed .

With doctors talking about “catastrophe”, teachers’ unions pressuring and the PSD pressuring the tone – and faced with 218 deaths in a single day – António Costa already admits closing schools, if the English strain of the virus becomes dominant.

The JN asked the prime minister’s office from what amount of infections by the new strain this decision will make, but there was no answer. Assessing the information from the last meeting at Infarmed, the level may have already been reached.

Óscar Felgueiras, a mathematician specialized in epidemiology at the University of Porto, told JN that the Unilabs laboratory detected the variant in 8% of the tests.

“Even with a weight of 10% of the new English variant, the Rt [indicador que mede o grau de transmissibilidade do vírus] rises 0.04, that is, 5% more “, he calculates. An Rt with a value greater than 1 means that the number of infections continues to rise. The English variant may double its presence in Portugal” in just over a week and a half ” The National Institute Ricardo Jorge (INSA) has followed the evolution of the strain, but only in the next few days will it reveal its prevalence.

39 thousand confined students

In Parliament, yesterday, the Prime Minister insisted that “the cost” of closing schools would be paid “10 years from now” and recalled that mass testing of students, teachers and non-teaching staff begins today. The goal is to find outbreaks of infection before they turn into outbreaks.

On Monday, there were 78 active outbreaks in schools, from day care centers to higher education, according to the Directorate-General for Health. To the deputies, António Costa added that 13 schools are closed (out of a total of 5,000) and there are 39 thousand confined students (out of a total of more than one million).

The prime minister admitted, however, that “we are very likely to have to close schools” if the English strain of the virus becomes dominant. “At that time, you may come to say that I backed down,” he said, addressing Adão Silva (PSD).

Social Democrats have been the most vocal political force in this demand. To JN, David Justino, vice president of the PSD, said that the party did not discuss a possible withdrawal of support for the renewal of the state of emergency later this month. At that time, he believes, “for sure they have already closed schools”. But only after the spread is out of control. “We will run after the loss”.

Transmitting children

Principals of public schools, colleges and parents continue to want face-to-face classes, but teacher unions have stepped up the pressure to close.

They join the many doctors, such as Maria José Brito, director of infectious diseases at Dona Estefânia children’s hospital, in Lisbon. On Tuesday, on TVI24, he revealed that he defends the end of face-to-face classes, not least because he finds in the youngest “those asymptomatic” that spread the virus without knowing it. “We all have to stay home. Everyone,” he said.

– .