Bianchi: "Clear rules have been put in place for returning home and safely"
Green light in the Council of Ministers to the new rules for the management of positive cases in the school environment. "We have given clear rules for a safe and safe return", underlines the Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi. "The decision taken by the government takes into account, on the one hand, health data and the evolution of the pandemic, on the other, it represents a clear choice that protects the possibility for female students and students, taking into account the different degree of vaccination achieved and the different level of school, to continue to attend in person, to guarantee substantial equality of access to the school service ".
The new rules
Kindergarten - Early Childhood Educational Services: With a positive case, the suspension of activities is applied to the class group / section, for a period of ten days.
Primary School: With a positive case, the surveillance with testing of the class group is activated: the activity continues in presence by carrying out a rapid or molecular antigen test as soon as the case of positivity (T0) is known. The test will be repeated after five days (T5). In the presence of two or more positives, distance learning is provided for the entire class for a duration of ten days.
Lower and lower secondary school: With a positive case in the same class, self-monitoring with the continuation of activities and the use of ffp2 masks. With two cases in the same class, integrated digital teaching is provided for those who have not had the booster dose and have completed the vaccination cycle for more than 120 days and for those who have recovered for more than 120 days. For all the others, it is foreseen the continuation of the activities in presence with self-surveillance and the use of ffp2 masks. With three cases in the same class, distance learning is provided for ten days for the whole class.
Screening activities will also be strengthened, also through the allocation of resources (over 92 million) to allow the self-supervised school population to carry out tests for free in pharmacies and affiliated facilities. Furthermore, the distribution of ffp2 masks has already started to staff "responsible for school and educational activities in kindergartens and schools of all levels, where there are children and pupils exempted from the obligation to use protective devices of the respiratory tract ". Finally, in implementation of the budget law, the green light was given for the renewal of the contracts of the staff for the emergency hired in September, both Ata and teachers.