Wednesday, October 06, 2021
NRW wants abolition from November
Mask requirement in schools is crumbling more and more
Do students still have to wear mouth and nose masks in class? In a number of federal states, the mask requirement at schools has already been relaxed. At the beginning of November, the NRW Ministry of Education is even holding out the prospect of their complete abolition.
The state government has announced a relaxation of the mask requirement at schools in North Rhine-Westphalia from November 2nd. Taking into account the further infection occurrence, it is the intention of the state government to abolish the mask requirement in class on the seats at the beginning of the second week after the autumn vacation, it says in an email from the NRW school ministry to the schools. A mask is then only required in the rest of the school building. In the outdoor area there is no longer a requirement to wear a mask.
On the first day of school after the autumn break (October 25th), all students who are not immunized or who do not present a negative current rapid test should be tested at the beginning of lessons. This also applies to the teachers and other school staff, it says in the mail. From the second day of school, the tests customary in schools would then be continued until the Christmas holidays. This applies to the corona self-tests (three times a week) in secondary schools and the PCR pool tests (twice a week) in elementary and special schools.
In a number of federal states, the mask requirement at schools has already been relaxed. At the beginning of last week, easing came into force in Bavaria and Berlin, and new regulations are also being considered in other federal states. But they are not uniform. In Berlin, for example, younger students up to the sixth grade no longer have to wear a mask in class since Monday; in Bavaria, all students are no longer required to wear them in the classroom. Similar regulations also apply in other federal states or are planned. In Saarland, pupils no longer have to wear a mask at school.
In Lower Saxony, too, other students could no longer have to wear a mask in class in a few weeks. Everything will be done to ensure that the mask is removed as the next step in the third and fourth year, said SPD Minister of Culture Grant Hendrik Tonne. At the moment, all but the first and second grade students have to wear a mask in class.
Several teachers’ associations warned on Tuesday immediately before a meeting with school minister Yvonne Gebauer of a quick shot and hasty easing of the mask requirement in schools. The development towards the end of the summer vacation also played a role, when the new corona infections in NRW had climbed up again and quarantine measures had to be taken. The classroom classes after the autumn break – they last from October 11th to 24th – should not be endangered, warned the associations.