Health Ministry issues epidemiological guidelines needed for the school start due on Sept.14

Health Ministry has released on Monday the epidemiological analysis for counties and localities showing the incidence rate of coronavirus infections per one thousand inhabitants, which is essential for the beginning of the school year. Therefore, school will start in a hybrid formula in such big cities as Bucharest, Iasi, Brasov and Oradea, where the infection rate is higher than 1 per 1,000 inhabitants.

Based on the list of the incidence of COVID-19 cases for each locality issued by the Health ministry schools and city halls will be able to establish in which of the three scenarios the school will function.

In the first scenario, also known as the green scenario, all pupils will got to school, with complying with all protection rules (face masks, distancing, disinfection, etc). Bases on this scenario, the incidence must be lower than one case per 1,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.

 The second scenario, named the yellow scenario, says that all pre-school and primary school pupils and eight and 12th graders will come to school on a daily basis, with observing all protection rules and that the rest of the elementary and high school students will partially return to classes (by rotation of 1-2 weeks). This scenario is valid for localities where there is a COVID-19 incidence of 1-3 per 1,000 inhabitants.

The third scenario, the red one, says that all pupils will take only online classes and it will be used in the localities where the incidence is higher than 3 per 1,000 inhabitants.

Based on the situation provided by the county public health directorates and depending on the local particularities, on the infrastructure and human resources of each school, the school’s managing boards will decide on one of these 3 scenarios by September 10.

“We endorse the need of resuming school under conditions of epidemiological safety”, said Health Minister, Nelu Tătaru.

Most of the localities in Romania are fitting into the green scenario, and only some are under the red one.

For instance, in Bucharest, the rate of incidence of coronavirus infections per 1,000 inhabitants is 1.12. In Alba, the rate is 1.11, in Arad is 0.67, in Arges is 0.50, in Bacau is 1.99.

The epidemiological analysis on all counties and cities, revealing the incidence rate of infections is available on the Health Ministry’s website.

There are 43 localities included in the red scenario, with school going exclusively online there, as the incidence of the coronavirus cases is higher than 3 per 1,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days.

For instance, the highest incidence of Covid cases is in Șiștarovăț commune in Arad county: 52.2 per 1,000 inhabitants. In Făurei town, Braila county the incidence rate is 11.12/1,000 inhabitants and in Ungureni locality in Bacau county the incidence is 23.6/1,000.

410 localities, including Bucharest are in the yellow scenario (hybrid system) and 2,728 are in the green scenario.

School is due to start on September 14. PM Ludovic Orban stressed that school will start on September 14 and that the government has never discussed to delay the beginning of the school year for October 1. The PM also underline that “children will be safer at school” than they have been in vacation if all safety and hygiene rules are observed.

“There have been opinions voiced by some epidemiologists regarding the option to delay the school start on October 1, on the ground that children are returning from holidays and that they might be already infected from the holiday. But we have never discussed this officially. School will start on September 14”, Orban explained.