On Wednesday, as part of a pilot phase, the first rapid tests were implemented in schools. The pilot runs until 2 April and should lay the building blocks for a national testing strategy after the Easter break.
Countries such as Austria have already been making use of antigen tests for the last six weeks. In Luxembourg, six schools will participate in the first phase of the project, which includes 6,000 students from two secondary schools in Esch and Redange-sur-Attert, as well as four primary schools.
"Children will receive a test at home in the next 10 days to get acquainted with it. A second test will be held in class next week", says Gilles Dahmen, responsible for the testing strategy.
One important factor is to analyse how big of an impact testing will have on everyday school life. A test takes between 20-30 minutes and is done in the classroom. Once the packaging is opened, the wand is inserted into the nose and rotated. The cotton wool is moistened with six drops of accompanying liquid. Turn right twice, turn left twice - 15 minutes later the result is shown. The tests are fabricated in China and the Netherlands.
Should a child test positive, teachers will call their parents and ask them to pick up their child as soon as possible. The child is then given a FFP2 masks and the teacher makes sure there is no contact among students and staff. From the moment the student is picked up, the Sanitary Inspectorate takes over with further measures.
