Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The number of schoolchildren in corona quarantine has fallen significantly since the introduction of new rules in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to information from the schools, around 7580 children and young people across the country were in domestic isolation on September 22nd, two weeks earlier (September 8th) there were more than 31,400. The Ministry of Education announced on Friday. Quarantine relief has been in effect in NRW since mid-September. In principle, only those schoolchildren who have been found to be infected have to be in isolation.
The number of confirmed corona infections in the student body is also falling, according to the ministry. While the schools reported a total of 8437 confirmed corona cases as of September 8th, this week there were 4780. That corresponds to a share of about 0.25 percent of the students.
However, the incidence of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days in school-age children and adolescents is still far higher than in other age groups. The incidence in the age group of 10 to 14 year-olds was 182.7 according to figures from the Regional Health Center on Thursday and 134.9 for 5- to 9-year-olds.
With the new test and quarantine rules, stable classroom teaching for children and young people will be ensured, explained School Minister Yvonne Gebauer (FDP). With three weekly quick tests at secondary schools, the ministry is keeping a “very close eye” on the development of the infection process. In elementary and special schools, the PCR lollipop tests will continue to be used.
According to the education union GEW NRW, falling quarantine numbers do not mean security in classroom teaching. “If only the child who has tested positive goes into quarantine and at the same time is largely set on self-tests, that is risky,” said the GEW country chairman Ayla Çelik. In this way, chains of infection would not be broken and infections would remain under the radar. Rather, comprehensive, close-meshed PCR tests and air filters should be a matter of course – especially with a view to the coming cold season.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210924-99-342615 / 3
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