Thirteen days left
There are thirteen days left to go before European schools fully reopen after the coronavirus crisis forced their closure back in March, and the only thing that people in Luxembourg know about when will school open, is that no one knows anything. Secretary-general of European schools, which is in charge of the European school system, is considering the three scenarios it announced at the beginning of July. The parents and teachers, meanwhile, have grown tired of asking questions and getting no replies.
Since nobody knows how they will have to organize their daily lives from September onward, it is quite urgent to get some guidance as soon as possible.
The date is – 25.08.2020
Before deciding when will school open, School administrations of both European schools in Luxembourg have to consider local regulation, which is still not clear since the Luxembourgish system only starts on 15.09. The second part is a recommendation from the European Commission DG SANTE, which provides EU health and food safety. Third-party is, of course, the office of the Secretary-General of Europen schools, which has the final say how all European schools should proceed.
The latest information I have is that we can expect a final decision on 25.08.2020.
What will schools have to do?
Beside many regulations, the office of Secretary-General has set out a system of controls for Europen schools and said the following four points must happen in all schools, all the time.
- keep pupils with Covid-19 symptoms, or with family members with symptoms, away from school
- introduce more frequent hand-washing
- promote good hygiene around the use of tissues for sneezes and coughs
- have enhanced cleaning procedures
It also wants schools to minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distancing wherever possible.