Contact cases, mask, isolation measures, self-examinations… what changes from Monday in schools

From March 14, the new health protocol (which will be published on Friday, March 11 on the ministry’s website) will come into force in schools, colleges and high schools. In particular, wearing a mask will not be mandatory, but students and teachers who wish to keep it can. Under these circumstances, all unmasked children in the class would be contacts if one of their classmates tested positive. The same rule in elementary, middle and high school.

In schools, this has already been the case since the beginning of the week: students in contact do not have to isolate themselves, they take a single self-test on D + 2, whether they have been vaccinated or not.

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In middle and high school, there is no change: unvaccinated contacts will have to self-isolate for seven days and take a PCR or antigen screening test before returning to class. Those who have been vaccinated will remain in class and will have to do a self-test at D+2. In addition, the new health protocol provides for the resumption of contact sports indoors and outdoors. It also stipulates the end of fermentation limits by level or in the canteen.

SNUIPP-FSU for elementary schools is like SNES-FSU for colleges and high schools on the same wavelength: They welcome the end of mask-wearing and the beginning of a return to normal, but fear that this relaxation will not lead to an explosion of contacts. Lifting the ban on mixing between students is also likely to increase contact cases.

The question of individuals at risk also arises, as teachers will want to keep a mask on for example. But for now, the Ministry of National Education has not planned to provide them with FFP2 masks, which are the only masks that should really be protected. The unions are also calling for more carbon dioxide sensors in schools, work to raise windows to a standard and thus improve ventilation, as well as modernizing ventilation systems, with the upcoming winter already approaching.