Coronavirus: It will be mandatory to test in Austrian schools in the first weeks of the school year – Aktuality.sk

Students and teachers in Austria will be required to test for coronavirus three times a week during the first 21 days of the new school year, whether or not they are vaccinated. Referring to Wednesday’s statement by Austrian Education Minister Heinz Fassmann, the DPA reported.

According to Fassman, the measure in question is the first step, after which anti-pandemic measures will be set depending on the incidence of those infected in individual regions. Testing will then be voluntary in areas where the seven-day incidence – ie the number of cases per 100 000 population – does not exceed 100.

Covering the upper airways will be mandatory in schools outside if the incidence is between 100 and 199. In the event of an incidence higher than 200, wearing veils will also be mandatory in classrooms.

Currently, the authorities record an incidence above 100 in four Länder, lower in the remaining five. At the same time, the incidence is significantly higher among children and teenagers than in the general population, writes DPA.

The school year begins in eastern Austria on September 6 and in the rest of the country a week later.

Last year, antigenic rapid tests were used in schools. This year, one in three tests will be performed using more accurate PCR tests.

“We’re gaining security,” Fassmann said. According to the DPA, the authorities are still monitoring indicators of the spread of the virus, including monitoring for the possible presence of coronavirus particles in wastewater. These measures are intended to prevent the possible closure of schools.

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