There is no longer a possibility that we will completely close the country's schools, Education, Science, Research and Sport Minister Branislav Gröhling (Freedom and Solidarity) repeated in an interview on the occasion of the beginning of the new school year.
"A very important change compared to the previous wave is that the COVID automaton has been introduced. It is arranged so that all schools in all districts will be open to all children, an exemption applied only in education," said the minister. He is also very pleased that the Government, the Health Ministry and epidemiologists all accept that the schools cannot be completely closed.
Gröhling noted that levels of positive test results among pupils will lead to the closure of individual classes, not whole schools. "I'm very pleased that we were able to find resources to help the schools. In the previous period, we distributed face-masks and other materials, and had the feedback that not all schools needed these things," added Gröhling, so they decided that it would be better to provide financial assistance that schools can use however they want.
The minister sees the possibility of vaccination as the difference between September 2020 and September 2021. "As part of our campaign For Open Schools, we met the people responsible for schools and made joint appeals with the representatives of the churches and youth organisations", he said. He added that the Education Ministry also functioned as a call centre which supported people who were hesitant or undecided about vaccination.
