See the announcement from the Public Kindergartens:
With great disappointment and intense concern we have been informed of the decisions of the Council of Ministers regarding the management of the pandemic in Public Schools and specifically in Kindergartens.
The strange and contradictory decisions taken during the opening of the schools after the Christmas break continue. The beginning was made with the resumption of the operation of the Kindergartens and Special Schools on a different day from the Primary Schools, which not only was not justified but as a result proved to be meaningless, since only about 30% of the children went to the Kindergartens and Special schools. At the same time, despite the outbreak of the pandemic and the intensification of protective measures in Primary Schools, no additional measures were taken in Kindergartens, leaving staff and children unprotected.
Unfortunately, the strong reactions and appeals of the kindergarten teachers and the POED have not been heard. Despite the admission by members of the Scientific Advisory Committee that additional measures are needed in Public Kindergartens, today's announcement for conducting optional Diagnostic tests for rapid antigen detection once a week in children 2-5 years old through the sampling points of the Ministry of Health, does not constitute a change or additional measure compared to what has been the case so far. Despite the timely and effective recommendations of the WFD, the absence of effective measures such as the installation of ventilation systems or the reduction of the number of children per ward, unfortunately limits the available protection options and makes some measures a one-way street. In a suffocating school environment where no distances can be observed and no mask is used, it is inconceivable that there is no regular check-up of children and teachers.
Maybe it's time to explore the possibility of using group simultaneous diagnostic salivary PCR (pooled testing) tests on all the children in a ward or in large groups of children, to detect cases, a practice that is applied in different countries. In this way the whole class can be checked and in case of detection of a case the whole class can be restricted in time and the children can proceed individually to a rapid detection test, in order to determine which child was positive. Such a practice or others should be studied by experts and utilized, if judged scientifically correct and there is a possibility. Alongside, prostheses In whatever measures are taken, parents can also be given a self-test so that the children can be checked when necessary.
At the same time, the installation of ventilation systems and the timely replacement of teachers and support staff, both in Kindergartens and in Primary and Special Schools, will help in the treatment of the virus and in better learning conditions for teachers and children. Unfortunately, the competent Ministries, from the first moment, have underestimated the pandemic in terms of severity and especially its duration, as a result of which they have not taken substantial and long-term measures. It is now obvious that any planning must include long-term measures, which will benefit our schools at the end of the pandemic.
The Independent Movement of Teachers and Kindergarten Teachers warned in time and made specific and applicable suggestions. Unfortunately, the Government continues to separate the Kindergartens and does not implement effective measures to protect them. The protection of teachers and children in all primary, pre-primary and special education schools is out of the question. We call on the State to take substantial measures immediately and warn that otherwise, the POED will have no choice but to continue and escalate the measures it has justifiably announced.