The use of masks for 1st-4th grade students does not pose a health risk and, together with other epidemiological safety measures, protects against the disease and further spread of Covid-19, LETA was informed by the Ministry of Health.
Such a conclusion has been reached by health industry experts, re-evaluating use of masks need in educational institutions.
Following this conclusion, the government on Tuesday decided not to change the decision already made, because Covid-19 The prevalence in Latvia remains high and the wearing of masks in schools is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. The need to use masks for primary school students has been re-evaluated after the collective application of 10,129 Latvian citizens “Let children breathe freely at school”.
Analyzing the epidemiological situation in Latvia before and after the introduction of distance learning, it was concluded that educational institutions are the most common source of infection, because the morbidity decreased with the introduction of distance learning, notes the Ministry of Health.
Given that children are mostly asymptomatic vectors, wearing face masks when resuming face-to-face training is necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection not only among students but also among teachers and, more broadly, parents, families and other members of society. . The Ministry emphasizes that close contact between students and teachers during the learning process creates an increased risk of virus transmission and infection. Employees of an educational institution can endanger the health of both colleagues and family members by infecting students.
In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the requirement for six to 11-year-olds to wear a face mask at school as part of comprehensive prevention and control measures to limit the spread of Covid-19. Epidemiologists of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control emphasize that only the implementation of complex precautions – physical distancing, wearing face masks, observing hygiene requirements, regular ventilation of the premises, laboratory screening of staff – can hope to stabilize the situation in educational institutions and the country as a whole.
Analyzing the experience of other European Union countries in limiting the spread of Covid-19, wearing face masks is mandatory for students in 72% of countries, and more than half of them start using masks from the age of six or even earlier. Face masks must be worn from the 1st grade when entering school premises in 11 countries, of which wearing masks in schools during the learning period from the age of six is obligatory in the Czech Republic, Spain, France, Italy, Romania, Luxembourg, Greece (from the age of four) and Latvia.
Read more:
In France, for example, the obligation to wear face masks in schools, including during the teaching process, exists for all age groups. However, during the “second wave” period, France did not impose any restrictions on full-time education for any age group. Therefore, there is an important justification for wearing face masks – comprehensive continuity of the educational process during emergency events.-
Assessing the epidemiological situation in the country, currently Latvia is still in the high-risk stage of Covid-19 spread and the epidemiological situation is very unstable, according to the Ministry of Health. Thus, the incidence of Covid-19 may increase rapidly in the event of insufficient adherence to epidemiological safety measures, as well as the faster spread of the new coronavirus strain, which is significantly more contagious.
In order to be able to talk about an improvement in the epidemiological situation, which would at the same time allow for a relatively safe reduction of national safety measures, the 14-day cumulative morbidity rate should be less than 200 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 population or no more than 270 new cases per day. If these indicators decrease significantly, then the usefulness of wearing masks for children should be reviewed and one of the first measures would be the abolition of wearing masks for children under 11 years of age, according to the ministry.
– .
