The schools in Basel are even stronger to fight against Omikron. The government council has tightened the measures, from January 3, 2022, all pupils from the first grade must wear a face mask indoors. The masks are provided by the school.
In addition, all students and teachers have to spit into the Röhrli once a week. The tests are mandatory. Exactly the same with the depoolings – i.e. the follow-up tests if an initial pool result is positive.
The aim of the measures is to maintain face-to-face teaching and avoid school closings. This is what it says in the letter from the Education Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt to parents, students and schools on Tuesday.
Anyone who evades their duty must face the consequences. “Anyone who refuses to take part in the individual follow-up test has to be in quarantine. Refusing to take part in the tests can also lead to a fine under Art. 83 of the Epidemics Act ”, the letter says.
Some parents are indignant
Simon Thiriet, spokesman for the education department, told Blick: “The immediate consequence for those students and teachers who refuse to take part in the depooling is the quarantine. This measure is easy to implement. “
In the second step, a fine of up to 5000 francs could follow. “However, it does not mean that everyone who has to go into quarantine is immediately reported and fined,” emphasizes Thiriet. And he makes it clear: “If such incidents should occur, we will first seek a conversation with the parents and inquire about the reasons. This is checked on a case-by-case basis. “
But why does the canton even use such means? «These measures are implementations of the adaptation of the Covid Ordinance. Anyone who does not obey a law can be fined. This has not only been the case since Covid, ”explains Thiriet.
The students are currently on vacation, but some parents have already responded to the new measures. “Some of them were indignant, others reacted very positively. We have had reactions from both sides in the past few months every time the rules have been adjusted. “