Schools, colleges, high schools … Jean-Michel Blanquer toughens measures against Covid-19: 5 facts to remember: Current Woman The MAG


School is fundamental for our country, and for our children. ” This is how Jean-Michel Blanquer started his press conference, Friday March 26, 2021. The day after the new announcements from the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, the Minister of National Education, in turn, spoke in front of the cameras. As his colleague had proclaimed the day before, it is not yet a question of ordering the closure of schools, but rather of setting up a “reinforced health protocol”. However, faced with the increase in contamination in schools, the government has decided to toughen up restrictive measures. Current wife summarizes the five important information to remember from this new press conference, an excerpt of which you can find in our video above.

1. Classes closed from the first case of Covid, in the 19 confined departments

This is the most important announcement to take away from this speech. “From now on, we will close each class in the first case of contamination ”, announced Jean-Michel Blanquer. This new measure thus applies to the nineteen departments subject to the new confinement, all school levels combined, but also to nursery schools throughout the country. In regions less affected by the epidemic, the protocol remains the same for primary, college and high school establishments: classes will be closed from three cases detected. The Minister of National Education also specified that 21,183 students and 2,515 school staff have tested positive in the past seven days, while 148 establishments and 3,256 classes are now closed.

2. School canteens will be closed “case by case”

The question of maintaining school canteens is debated. The Minister of National Education was however firm on this subject. As for schools as a whole, stopping eating places is not on the agenda. “The closure of canteens may be decided on a case-by-case basis, as a last resort ”, declared Jean-Michel Blanquer. He admitted, however, that the time for lunch was “the weak link of the day ” at school, “this is why a very strict and binding protocol ” continues to be implemented.

3. Teacher vaccination implemented from the end of April

While the vaccination campaign has started since the start of 2021, school staff are wondering when their turn will come. The Minister of National Education finally answered this question during his press conference: “By the end of April, vaccination for teachers can begin to roll out. ” Jean-Michel Blanquer thus recalled that the French vaccine strategy consists of immunizing “from the most vulnerable to the least vulnerable ”. He also said he was in consultation with the Minister of Health to determine the order in which “all the staff working in the establishments ” school children can be vaccinated.

4. Bringing forward the school holidays, a little solution “Appropriate”

While several elected officials – including Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Île-de-France region – asked that the Easter holidays be brought forward by two weeks, the Minister of National Education assured that it was not necessarily the best solution. He explained that the number of positive cases for Covid-19 in students tended to increase when they returned to class, “which corroborates the idea that there can sometimes be more contamination during the holidays than during the school periods ”. It is for this reason that the government “look with great discernment ” measures consisting in bringing forward school holidays. “They are not necessarily the appropriate solutions ”, finally concluded Jean-Michel Blanquer.

5. National Education recruits

As we are seeing tension in certain parts of French territory, the rectorates concerned will be able to recruit more ”, also indicated the minister. New jobs will therefore be created, particularly among substitute teachers, to cope with the difficulties in the departments subject to reinforced measures.

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