It is not a good idea to reopen the schools on January 18, as the role of children in the spread of the coronavirus appears to be greater than previously thought. That is what two school administrators say to Omroep Brabant. On Tuesday it turned out that the declining number of corona infections is largely due to children. This sheds new light on the school closure that took effect two weeks ago.
All schools have been closed since December 16. Now, two weeks after the closure, the contamination figures appear to be falling slightly. Remarkable: in relative terms, the decline is greatest among 13 to 17 year olds. This is probably due to the school closure. The Red Team advised on Tuesday to take a critical look at the reopening on January 18.
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‘First under control’
Woulinda van Tiggelen from primary school De Brug in Waalwijk shares the concerns of the Red Team. For a long time it was believed that children were less likely to become infected and could hardly infect others. Van Tiggelen: “I believe that the role of children and young people in the spread of the virus is greater than previously thought. At our school, six children and three teachers were tested positive in one week. ” There are 110 children at De Brug.
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Marianne van Lent of primary school De Stokland in Breugel also agrees with the appeal of the Red Team. “Let’s all get the virus under control in this lockdown before we reopen the schools,” she says.
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British variant
Van Lent also cites the British variant of the virus as a cause for concern. This much contagious mutation also showed up in students and teachers of a primary school in Bergschenhoek. A teacher has recently died, it is not yet known whether the corona virus was the cause. Van Lent: “But the death of the teacher in Bergschenhoek really worried me. We must first find out more about these new virus variants. ”
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Van Tiggelen agrees: “We cannot be too careful, especially with the new variant on the way. As we have seen, teachers and parents transmit the virus to children. But children also transmit the virus to each other and adults. Let’s handle the virus carefully and not open everything again too quickly. ” Van Tiggelen does not think that the new variant was already circulated at her school.
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‘Close to infections again’
If the cabinet nevertheless decides to reopen the schools from 18 January, this will also apply to De Brug in Waalwijk. “If the cabinet decides that, we will open. But if we see that the infections at our school are on the rise again, I will not hesitate to close the door again ”, says Van Tiggelen.
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