The number of infections in Mörfelden-Walldorf has continued to rise sharply since last week. “Unfortunately, daycare centers are also affected, even though the hygiene concepts of the state and district are being implemented. This shows that we are a long way from being in a normal situation and that we still have to protect ourselves, ”said First City Councilor and Social Affairs Director Burkhard Ziegler.
Kita X Grünewaldweg was closed last week. A particularly large number of infections occurred here, as the British variant was probably the trigger. Due to the staff shortage, a longer closure of Kita X has currently been ordered. The doors will remain closed until March 9th. “Several children are also affected, which is particularly tragic. I hope that all sick people will soon be healthy again, ”says the First City Council. There were also corona cases in Kita V Heidelberger Straße and Kita XII Gärtnerweg.
Further closings of daycare centers are to be expected in the near future. “If the highly contagious British mutation spreads in the day-care centers and more and more educators are infected, the health department will order appropriate quarantines and we will have to close the day-care centers due to the staff shortage,” he is sure. And that can happen overnight. “There is no planning security. We are forced to act at short notice ”, he therefore points out.
Like many representatives of other municipalities, he criticizes the state government. “She turns the appeal to look after the children at home into a request. This is nothing more than a legal move that presents us with a great challenge. “
Because: “Nothing really has changed, except that the municipalities from the state of Hesse no longer receive any financial support for the fee losses due to this change and the parents are suggested a normality that does not yet exist. It is then left to the municipalities to explain this chaos. In addition, we have recorded an increase in corona cases. “It is difficult to convey all this, says Burkhard Ziegler, who understands the displeasure of some parents.
“It’s not easy to explain. Who can keep track of things like this, the short-term nature of the requirements and the legal situation. ”
Background: The current regulations are not comparable with the first lockdown in 2020. At that time there was a ban on entry and emergency care for systemically important occupational groups. The Hessian state government decided this time that all children can go to daycare. This means that there are currently significantly more children in care than just a year ago.
In the second lockdown, there was care under corona conditions. Many parents followed the appeal and thankfully looked after their children at home. In order to at least relieve these parents a little financially and to thank them, a submission by the mayor, the first city council and the city council was resolved in the city council. Parents who did not send their children to daycare therefore get their fees and meal money back. The resulting fee losses are partially offset by the state. Since the decision is linked to the appeal of the country, it only applies to the months of January and February due to the change of country. Here Burkhard Ziegler feels abandoned by the country. Because: Parents now think that the daycare centers have opened again normally.
In Mörfelden-Walldorf, almost all children are back. However, due to the hygiene concept, there are no open groups. In addition, there is not enough staff available (the majority of employees * work part-time and there should be little / no change of staff in each area), so that the care time had to be reduced. With the smaller number of children, this could be organized differently in the emergency service. The likelihood of closures is also increasing every day due to the increasing number of cases in Mörfelden-Walldorf.
Despite the circumstances, Burkhard Ziegler hopes that his parents will understand: “We all try to make the best of this uncertain and unsatisfactory situation. I am aware that the children and their parents are the ones who suffer, but it is also a stressful and difficult situation for our daycare staff. We can only manage to get through this pandemic and back to normal if it takes longer than expected, ”emphasizes the First City Council, who would rather bring better news and more clarity.
“The best protection against the spread of the virus is contact reduction. Who cares for his child at home, minimizes chains of infection, the country knows that too, but is losing responsibility and leaves it to us to communicate this or to the parents, whether they follow the request of the country as they did at the roll call. ”
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