The Ministry of Education confirmed on Friday that invitations for corona tests were sent out to pupils and teachers who will go back to class on 15 September.
Everyone who received an invitation can go to one of the testing stations on voluntary basis, which is recommended by the ministry.
Masks remain mandatory on public transport and on school premises for all children above the age of six. Inside the classrooms and during breaks, masks may be worn, but this is not compulsory.
In high schools however, masks are mandatory everywhere on the school premises. When it comes to the classroom, every institution will be free to decide and adapt according to their preference.
Every pupil will have a designated seat, while breaks are held separately to avoid crowding in hallways. Everyone will have to wash their hands before class and after each break.
Physical education and swimming lessons will be taught again in the new academic year. Masks will have to be worn “right up until the start of the activity”.
The ministry also confirmed that field trips would be possible again, but emphasised that all sanitary measures needed to be respected, as for instance wearing a mask inside a museum.
Masks will be mandatory while not seated, and pupils no longer have to get their food themselves. A maximum of 10 children can sit at a table, and hands need to be washed before and after lunch.
Lunch bags will furthermore be provided in secondary education. Students can then eat inside a class room, while no more than 10 students can be in one room at the same time.
Minister Meisch emphasised the need to properly ventilate classrooms to avoid the emergence of infection hotbeds. Windows and doors will therefore be opened after class has ended.
He recommends regular venting of classrooms throughout the day. Schools equipped with ventilation systems should aim towards 90% of fresh air.
Students should therefore dress accordingly as windows and doors will be open as much as possible. On days with bad weather, the minister recommends opening windows during the first ten minutes of class, or to simply leave them in a tilting position.
Should flu-like symptoms arise, it is best to leave children at home. Meisch also reminded the public that family leave has been reinstated.
Covid-19 symptoms include fever, coughing, breathing difficulties, chest pain, loss of taste and loss of smell.
If your child shows at least two of the following symptoms, do not send them to school: muscular pain, fatigue, nasal discharge or congestion, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhoea.
If your child has been confirmed to be at risk by your doctor and an occupational physician, home schooling will be offered and will take place in the same form as before the summer break.
Those at risk as well as classes in quarantine can access their academic material on ‘schouldoheem.lu’.
Secondary school will have the choice to set up a rotation system that permits students to work from home or attend classes in person.
Should the sanitary crisis worsen, all teaching could be shifted online, but minister Meisch hopes it will not get to that point.
1. One single case: the student’s class will have to isolate from the others. They will no longer be permitted at the canteen, they will have to wear their masks everywhere, and will no longer take part in mixed lessons with other classes.
2. Various cases in one class: the affected class will be put in quarantine and will be traced. The teacher may have to quarantine as well, teaching from home or while wearing a mask, if their health permits it.
3. Infection chain in a school: both students and teachers will be put in quarantine. Stricter measures could be put implemented by the ministry, and tracing will be undertaken.
