Back to school… and screening

Several thousand self-tests will be made available to schools.

No room for complacency. Like the one the one that was organised at the beginning of January after the Christmas holidays, a new large-scale screening campaign will take place from February 21.

A purely voluntary campaign, during which teachers, school staff and students will have access to self-tests recommended by paediatricians, which are quick, non-invasive, easy to use (with a nasal swab at the entrance to the nostrils) and provide the result within 15 minutes. Children must have the authorisation of their parents, who will be contacted individually by the schools.

According to the Prince’s Government press release, “the aim of this rapid screening is to allow as many people as possible to be tested after the holiday period, which is conducive to social interaction.  People who test positive are identified quickly so as to keep the chain of contamination as short as possible.”

At the same time, France is preparing to ease its health regulations in schools from the start of the winter holidays. The Ministries of Health and National Education are meeting on Tuesday, February 8 with different teachers’ unions. The abolition of mask-wearing in the playground is said to be under consideration, as well as a reduction in the number of compulsory tests for pupils that are ‘contact cases’.