Vaccination, isolation: Jean-Michel Blanquer specifies the health protocol for the start of the school year – France Bleu

The Minister of National Education speaks in the Sunday newspaper this August 22 for provide details about the start of the school year, September 2nd. This will be the second re-entry under Covid-19. For several days, parents of students and National Education staff have been expressing their concerns and wondering about reception and working conditions.

A vaccination campaign through schools

The first point addressed by Jean-Michel Blanquer concerns vaccination since the government’s objective is to further increase injections in order to protect as many people as possible. A vaccination campaign through middle and high schools will begin at the start of the school year for students over 12 who wish to do so., announced the minister. “In all colleges and high schools in France, students and staff will have access to the vaccine, near or within their establishment”, said the minister. “Depending on the situation, either mobile teams will come to vaccinate in the establishments, or we will organize the movement of volunteer students, in connection with the health services, to the vaccination centers”, he said. About 55% of 12-17 year olds have already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine since this summer.

For teachers, Jean-Michel Blanquer ruled “neither legitimate, neither desirable, nor useful” to require a health pass, preferring to bet on “a logic of trust and responsibility”.

What health protocol in schools, colleges and high schools?

The “level 2” health protocol

As for the sanitary protocol, it will be the so-called “level 2” one.

• face-to-face lessons in schools, colleges and high schools
• mask compulsory indoors from primary school
• enhanced ventilation, disinfection of surfaces several times a day and hand washing
• mixing limitation

Physical and sports activities are allowed outdoors and indoors but “we changed the protocol again on Saturday to ban indoor contact sports at level 2”, specified the minister.

This protocol can be adapted at the local level “if there were developments which justified it”.

In case of contamination

In the primary, the rule remains the closure of the entire class for seven days in the event of contamination.

For higher levels, if a case is detected in a class, the seven-day isolation period, therefore from school on distance, will not be required for vaccinated or immunized students. “An unvaccinated pupil is in a more risky situation than a pupil who has received at least one injection. Asking him to stay at home in the event of risky contact is to protect him and others”, he explained. This procedure also applies to sixth grade students who are not old enough to be vaccinated.

To protect medical confidentiality, the pupil’s vaccination status will be communicated on the basis of a parents’ vaccination certificate.

School trips

Finally, with regard to school trips, students will not be asked for a sanitary pass in places where they are not mixed with the public (swimming pools or libraries). “On the other hand, when they are mixed with the public, for example in museums, the sanitary pass will apply [à partir du 30 septembre pour les 12-17 ans NDLR]. But the pass does not require vaccination since we can also resort to a test. “ Details will be provided in the coming days, says Jean-Michel Blanquer because “the principle of free education is essential in schools” according to him, however, the tests will become paying from mid-October.