The Freitesten project has failed and lockdown is being extended by a week, but schools are unaffected, said Minister of Education Heinz Faßmann in the Ö1 lunch journal.
After the opposition's no to an amendment to the law on Freest, the lockdown is now being extended by one week until January 24th.
According to the current legal situation, schools are not affected, said Education Minister Heinz Faßmann on Monday in the Ö1 lunch journal. As planned, they are supposed to open on January 18th. The lockdown regulation is only about exit restrictions, trade, gastronomy and events, explained Faßmann.
Therefore, whatever was planned, applies to the schools: School starts on January 7th, after the holiday, but in distance learning. “On January 18, there will be classroom teaching again at all schools”, says Faßmann. From the current perspective, the development of the number of infections would not prevent this – but there is no guarantee.
The ministry referred to the ongoing talks with all parliamentary parties as well as the governors. Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) did not want to make a firm commitment on Monday morning before further talks with the opposition to extend the lockdown on school matters.
Test program for schools
Education Minister Faßmann also announced on Monday that the hygiene measures in schools should be tightened even further. An “ambitious program” is currently being developed to enable students and teachers to be tested on a weekly basis in the future.
The nasopharynx swabs, which are quite uncomfortable, should not be used, but a new test procedure in which swabs are only taken in the anterior nasal area.
