School classes kick off after the Christmas holidays, betting on the greatest possible presence in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With regard to quarantines, the autonomous communities together with the Public Health Commission have decided that student classrooms will be held when there are five or more students with COVID-19 or when 20% of those infected are exceeded in a period equal to or less than 7 days.
These new measures, which have taken into account the rapid progress of the omicron variant, have been included in the documents on the Adaptation of Prevention Measures against COVID-19 in educational centers and in the Guide for Action in the Appearance of Cases of COVID-19 in educational centers, after all the autonomies have voted in favor, except Catalonia, which has voted against. Now that document is being elaborated in an exhaustive way to make it known in full in the next few days.
“The marked changes are aimed at guaranteeing and promoting attendance as much as possible at all educational levels, reinforcing compliance with prevention measures. This change is adapted to the current pandemic situation, it also reflects the significant progress in vaccination in all age groups and takes into account that school environments have proven throughout the pandemic to be safe environments in terms of virus transmission. ”, they have explained from the Ministry of Health.
Who should isolate themselves in classrooms in the face of contagion?
The infected person will be the first to isolate when they have symptoms or a positive diagnosis, by PCR or antigen test. However, before close contacts had to quarantine, unless they were vaccinated or had had the disease in the last six months, now this will only be the case in ESO, baccalaureate and Vocational Training (FP).
Health recommends that in the 10 days after contact with the positive social interactions, visits to vulnerable people be reduced and be alert to the appearance of symptoms
Pre-school and primary school students, where entire classes were being confined in the face of just one case –because they were not vaccinated– because they are considered bubble groups, will be the action group where the new measures will be taken. In this way, students will remain at home when in the same class there are five or more people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a week or when the percentage of coronavirus patients is at least 20% in the same period of time. .
Students who should not be quarantined – such as those in infant and primary school or close contacts vaccinated in secondary school – will have to take extreme precautions in cases of positives in their classrooms. Pending the final update of the Health measures, it is recommended that during the 10 days after contact with the positive they reduce their social interactions, avoid being with vulnerable people and be alert to the possible appearance of symptoms compatible with COVID- 19. The protocols also establish exceptions, for example, those who are immunosuppressed will always have to quarantine.
How will the quarantine of schoolchildren be done?
If the criteria mentioned above are met and a class must quarantine, it will last seven days instead of 10 as it has been done until now. This decision was made by Health on December 29 and affects the entire population. In the case of students who are positive cases of COVID-19, they will not need any diagnostic test to return to class, and for close contacts it will be recommended, but not mandatory.
It is important to clarify that close contact is considered to be living relatives, classmates with whom the class and bubble group are shared, and all the people that the educational center considers may have had risk contact with the positive person. Generally it would be when you have been less than two meters away without a mask, which will continue to be mandatory in classrooms.
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