Procedure corona infections secondary education.

Procedure corona infections secondary education.

The number of corona infections in secondary education is still rising. Several schools had to close because multiple teachers or students were infected. This raises the question of what the standard procedure is when corona breaks out at school.

Procedure

The procedure for a corona infection is clear. Schools must report one or more confirmed corona infections to the GGD. It also happens that the GGD suspects an infection before the school does. In that case, the GGD contacts the school. If teachers or students are infected with the coronavirus, the GGD advises schools on possible extra measures. Students and teachers stay home if they have symptoms. A contact investigation follows to find out if other students or teachers might also be infected. Schools must inform their staff, students, and parents as soon as possible about a confirmed infection at school and what steps the school takes to reduce the risk of further infections.

Temporarily closed

With multiple infections, schools may sometimes have to close completely for a while. Or there may be a partial closure where some students do not come to school and receive distance learning. It can also happen that a class must quarantine. The approach depends strongly on the local situation. That is why the GGD can choose different approaches per school.

Testing

To get clarity quickly, education staff have priority for corona testing. This helps to prevent losing too much teaching time unnecessarily.

Infection risk at schools

But what are the risks at secondary schools? There is no reason to panic. Professor of statistics Casper Albers said last week in de Volkskrant: “The data strongly suggest that the infection risk at secondary schools is much lower than outside of them.” The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science agrees and confirms that on average there are no higher infection rates among students and teachers.

Questions

The website of the VO-raad has a guide with more information about the steps a school must take in case of a corona infection. For questions about the current situation, you can contact Ouders & Onderwijs. The answers to many frequently asked questions about corona are in our FAQ. For personal advice, you can also call our advice point on working days at 088-6050101 or email vraag@oudersenonderwijs.nl