Prague schools will probably experience testing, but voluntary
Since the last intensification of the epidemic, the management of Prague has been associated with state authorities to renew tests in schools and adjust quarantine measures. Both changes should contribute to the maintenance of full-time teaching despite the unfavorable development of the epidemic situation. Councilor for Education Vít Šimral (Pirates) will promote the “test to stay” model at Monday’s meeting with representatives of regions and ministries, which has already been successfully tested in the United Kingdom. It consists in the fact that only a positively tested child always goes to quarantine and everyone else in the team stays at school, only then they are tested every day for some time. Prague would like to “pilot” the novelty, but it needs the approval of the Ministry of Health.
According to current rules, the Prague hygiene station sends an average of fifteen children to the home quarantine due to risky contacts for truly positive ones. “It simply came to our notice then. We should try to reduce that number. At the same time, we are evaluating a pilot project of wastewater testing, which took place in schools in Lysolajy and Prague 9. It turns out that to some extent we are able to find out from this positive. But it is a new approach, so it cannot be chosen across the board yet. In addition, we do not even have the capacity to do so, “pointed out Šimral, according to whom the current analyzes of the ICT are” promising “.
Many Prague City Halls and schools want and will test on the first day of November. With a clear motivation to avoid closing other classes or entire schools. “I expect about a third of the schools to do so. But it’s just an estimate given the past holidays, which lasted some week. So far, 18 city districts have clearly stated the will to test. It’s not everywhere ”, because it is a share-based provision of communication with parents that the state does not yet provide finance, “the councilor stressed, who does not understand why the government has not yet ordered the distribution of antigen tests from the state material reserves warehouse to schools.
“We are therefore looking for our own 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,” added Šimral, who personally sees activity on the part of the Ministry of Health with the Minister of Education Robert Plaga is said to be very good and the view of the matter more or less the same.
All fifteen primary schools established by Prague 6 used the offer of the town hall, which released over one and a half million crowns from the budget reserve to pay for the test immediately after the return of the children from the autumn holidays. One school offers antigen tests, the rest PCR tests by the so-called pooling method. “We cannot imagine the state closing schools again. The government has not yet told us a specific solution plan, but it is necessary to respond very quickly and effectively to the deteriorating epidemic situation. That is why we are coming up with our own initiative again. Through testing, we want to ensure that the disease does not spread further in schools, “said Marie Kubíková (ODS), Prague 6 councilor for education.
Prague 6 currently registers fifty covid positive pupils from twelve schools. There are now 635 pupils and 29 classes in the quarantine. One week ago, 582 pupils were not allowed to go there to school due to risky contacts, and three weeks ago, only 123.