Spain: Students return to their desks normally despite Omicron

Pupils and students will return to Spanish schools and universities for lifelong learning when the end-of-year holidays end on January 10, the health minister announced today, ending speculation that Covid-19 record cases could lead to in distance learning.

Cases reached new highs after the highly contagious Omicron variant was identified about two months ago, raising concerns that children could not return to school after the Christmas break.

The Omicron variant accounted for about 43% of cases in the week before Christmas, the Spanish health authorities announced yesterday, Monday.

But officials from Spain’s 17 regions, which set their own health policy, all voted in favor of returning to the ranks today, in a rare show of unanimity in a country with strong political differences.

“This is the physical presence (in educational institutions) of all our pupils and students from January 10 across the country,” Health Minister Carolina Darias told reporters after the regional meeting.

The masks will be mandatory and schools must guarantee proper ventilation, while regional administrations will work to make up for any absences of teachers due to infection, the minister added.

The national infection rate, as measured in the last 14 days, rose to a new record of 2,296 cases per 100,000 inhabitants yesterday, Monday, marking a tenfold increase since the beginning of December.

The pressure on hospitals is rising, but it remains well below the levels seen a year ago. Intensive care units were up 21.2% yesterday, Monday, up from 8% a month ago. However, this coverage rate is less than half of the 43% recorded at the peak of last January.

More than 90% of Spaniards over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health, with just under a third of children aged 5-11 having given their first dose since mid-December in Spain. started vaccinating this age group.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ