Outbreak Management Team advice: move the Christmas holiday forward by a week.

Outbreak Management Team advice: move the Christmas holiday forward by a week.

The infections in primary education are high. The Outbreak Management Team proposes to move the Christmas holiday forward by a week to prevent possible infections during the holidays. This is stated in the latest advice to the cabinet. There is some doubt about the effectiveness of this measure.

The Christmas holiday officially starts on 24 December, just before both Christmas days. The risk that children infect grandpa, grandma, or other family members is quite big then. By starting the holiday on 17 December, children stay longer ‘in their own family bubble,’ and the chance of infections is smaller. At least, that is the idea.

Care

But is that really so? Some working parents might still need to find care for that extra week. The chance that grandpa and grandma are used for this is big, with the related risks. The Outbreak Management Team also points this out: ‘Of course, the benefit of a family bubble depends on the way children are cared for, and that care should not be given to grandparents.’

Decision

So it is a matter of waiting for the cabinet’s decision. That is planned for 14 December, the moment when all measures will be reviewed again.

Minister’s response

So far, Hugo de Jonge is not enthusiastic about the advice in a letter to parliament. ‘One more week of vacation is one less week of school, and that is not desirable in a situation with learning delays,’ he writes.

Questions

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