Prague: Eighteen districts of Prague have expressed interest in testing in schools

Due to the continuing and deteriorating epidemic situation in schools in the capital city of Prague for a long time and ongoing across the ministries on the possibilities of securing schools continue to operate without their necessary shutdown.

The city sees voluntary testing and setting better quarantine conditions as one of the ways to prevent this situation. The management of the capital discussed this with representatives of the Ministry of Health, Regions and the Prague Hygiene Station. Testing in schools requires 18 city districts.

“An effective way to protect the population from infection is through a combination of vaccination, testing and compliance. The reason for the massive spread of the virus is, among other things, that the government has decided to throw children overboard and stop testing them. As early as mid-September, we called on the government to test at schools where it makes sense. However, the Prime Minister replied that we should take care of other things and this is not a problem, “said the Mayor of the Capital City of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib.

From the current data of the Hygienic Station of the capital m of Prague, when in the daily update from 25 and 26 October Prague reached a value of 295.2 per hundred thousand inhabitants in a seven-day incidence, it is clear that the capital will be included among the eight districts in which comprehensive testing of pupils in schools. This will happen on the basis of a valid measure issued by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic for testing children in schools and school facilities who have reached the value of a seven-day incidence of 300 per hundred thousand inhabitants.

According to the capital’s leadership, student testing is a necessary means of keeping schools open and safe. The city administration therefore calls for voluntary testing and is looking for ways to ensure that schools are reimbursed through the health insurance company.

“After this step, Prague has been calling for a long time, but unfortunately, the government has not heard it. If schools are not again widely tested, not only will the number of whole classes outside full-time teaching increase, but mainly schools will be closed and this must be maintained. I do not understand that the government has not yet issued an instruction to distribute tests from the state material reserves warehouse in order to eliminate possible logistical problems for schools. We are discussing possible scenarios with how to ensure testing in Prague schools with our city districts. At the moment, we know that 18 of them were in favor of testing in schools. However, Prague itself will not tighten comprehensive testing, it would cost about 15 million crowns for secondary schools alone, and 25 million for primary schools. We are therefore looking for a way to ensure that tests are reimbursed through insurance companies so that parents do not have to reach deep into their pockets due to the lukewarm approach of the government, ”said Vít Šimral, Prague’s councilor for education.

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