The “hard” lockdown in Austria will be extended until January 24th! Schools should be allowed to reopen a week earlier.
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober confirmed on Monday that the “free test” failed and that the lockdown will now last a week longer for everyone – until January 24th! Gastronomy, tourism and culture can only reopen on January 25th.
As “Today” found out, there is obviously an exception and that concerns the schools. According to the Ministry of Education, schools are “not at all affected” by the current debate, since the entire school system would not “appear once” in the bill under discussion.
Therefore, the schools will be reopened “as planned” on January 18th with “corresponding increased security measures”, according to the Ministry of Education. In any case, Minister of Education Heinz Faßmann assumes that the students will switch back to face-to-face classes from January 18th.
“The extension of this lockdown regulation does not include the school,” said Faßmann in the Ö1 lunch journal. This applies to exit regulations, trade or personal services. “The school is explicitly not included in this Emergency Measures Ordinance”.
And further: “School starts on January 7th via distance learning and on January 18th there is classroom teaching for all schools”, so Faßmann on Monday in the Ö1 lunch journal. The school is allowed to go its own “legal path”. The hygiene measures should be tightened, especially in the area of testing.
But will the schools also open on January 18th, should the corona numbers remain high or should they rise? Faßmann says in the Ö1 lunch journal: “This is of course a killer question, because in times like these, with changing numbers of infections, it is difficult to make guarantees for the future.” According to the current situation, however, he is assuming that “the classroom teaching will take place on January 18th”.
