Primary school children get christmas holiday a week earlier.
The Christmas holiday starts one week earlier at primary schools and special primary education schools. The after-school care also closes earlier. Secondary schools and childcare stay open. This measure aims to reduce the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The cabinet announced this Tuesday evening during the press conference.
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Schools arrange care for vulnerable pupils and children where at least one parent has a crucial job. Because schools may not be able to organize this immediately, they can remain open on Monday at the latest. With this early closing, the Christmas holiday for primary school pupils now lasts from December 20 to Monday, January 10.
Distance education
Schools can provide distance education, but this is not required. Due to the sudden decision, there is understanding for schools that cannot set this up quickly.
Advice
The cabinet follows the advice of the OMT. These experts had already urged closure to reduce the spread of the omicron variant. The idea is that children stay longer ‘in their own family bubble’ to reduce the chance of infection. Therefore, there is also a strong recommendation for parents not to ask grandparents to care for children. A study by Ouders & Onderwijs showed this week that most parents (60%) are against earlier school closing.
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