Corona pandemic: teachers’ association against abolition of the mask requirement in schools

Corona pandemic: teachers’ association against abolition of the mask requirement in schools

The teachers’ association criticizes the federal government’s planned easing steps. There are already increasing numbers of failures among teaching staff – the omission of the mask requirement could make this even worse.

The German Teachers’ Association warns against abolishing the obligation to wear masks in schools despite the increasing number of corona incidences in many places.

Instead of opening plans by the federal government, a postponement or even withdrawal of easing steps should be considered, said association president Heinz-Peter Meidinger of the “Rheinische Post”. “As a teachers’ association, we expect an even more colorful and rationally hardly comprehensible patchwork of corona protection in schools in view of the future exclusive responsibility of the federal states for protective measures in schools.”

Teachers are absent due to corona infection

The omicron variant, which is still rampant, and its even more contagious BA.2 subtype, have led to teachers being absent in many schools, “like they have not been in all the months before,” said Meidinger. “If the mask requirement were completely lifted and, in some federal states, the requirement to take tests, the Covid infections would run unchecked through the schools given the highly infectious omicron variant.” According to his impression, too little consideration is given to teachers. However, there are also advocates of abolishing the mask requirement, who believe that relief for children and young people is necessary after two years of the pandemic. Parenting is divided in many schools.

The Federal Association of Physicians in the Public Health Service (BVÖGD) is now calling for the occupational vaccination requirement to be extended to include teachers. “If we relax the mask requirement in school, it is all the more important that the adults are vaccinated,” said Vice President of the Association Elke Bruns-Philipps of the “Rheinische Post”. “One way would be to extend facility-related vaccination requirements to teachers and educators, although many of them are already vaccinated. Adults can protect themselves and their children by being vaccinated.”

Source: Stern

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