The government in Bucharest has earmarked 175
\nmillion Euros out of EU funds for preparing the new school year due to commence
\non September 14th. The money is to be used by the local authorities
\nfor the purchase of tablets, masks and sanitary cabins. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
More than half of the money, 100 million Euros
\nwill be used on computer tablets and other electronic devices aimed at assisting
\nthe online education of roughly 500 thousand students, Ionel Danca, head of the
\nPrime Minister’s chancellery has said. The government will invest 50 million
\neuros in the purchase of masks and disinfectants for schools and 25 million
\nothers in mobile sanitary cabins. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The experience of last semester, when the risk
\nof transmitting the novel coronavirus in schools made the authorities to
\nsuspend classes has prompted the government to also take into consideration a
\nworst-case scenario, with three positive persons per one thousand inhabitants
\nin a locality in the past 14 days. A situation like this would prompt the
\nauthorities to close down the school in that locality and hold online courses. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In early August, when the number of daily
\ninfections didn’t go under 1,000, the aforementioned situation was reported
\nonly in 50 localities. Several hundred other localities became part of the
\nmedium-risk category with between one and three people infected per thousand and
\nin this case, preschoolers, pupils in their first school years and students in
\ntheir last who need to take exams, will become a special priority. The others
\nwill get online courses and are going to school in rotation. These scenarios
\nare to be updated constantly in keeping with the local epidemiological
\nsituation. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Upon proposals from schools and the School Inspectorate, the
\nCommittee for Emergency Situations is going to decide whether students will
\nstay at home or go to school. Here is Romania’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru
\nwith more on this.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nelu Tataru: We’ve
\nallowed the freedom, so to say, to local authorities, county school
\ninspectorates and public health directions to adjust the scenarios and the
\nregulations we imposed to every school. In the localities where children can
\nsafely go to school, we believe it’s OK for them to go, with the observation of
\ncertain prevention measures of course, but where there is the risk of
\ninfection, the other two scenarios are to be applied. School has to begin
\nbecause we have children who must go to school. We’ve already had half a year
\nwhen children had to stay at home and I believe they need to socialize. The
\nteacher-student relation is also something very important. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In a most-positive scenario, with less than one person infected
\nper thousand in the past 14 days, the students’ presence in schools will be
\nmandatory not optional, as Education Minister Monica Anisie explains. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(translated by bill)<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A new school year kicks off in Romania in less than three weeks and authorities are taking measures to prevent any impact the Covid-19 pandemic might have on it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":86499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[33070,35374,40049,35560,32515,35431],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-86498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-committee","tag-covid-19","tag-danca","tag-nelu","tag-school","tag-tataru"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n