“We are in a bad dynamic”, worried Monday, November 8 on franceinfo Hubert Salaün, the spokesperson for the PEEP (Federation of Parents of Public Education Students), while the mask is once again compulsory for schoolchildren in 40 departments, including La Réunion. “We also ask ourselves questions for our college students, our high school students who will perhaps have to go back to hybridization in some time, that is to say to be at school every other day”, he added, while pointing out the lack of personnel in the establishments.
MENU. Covid-19: wearing a mask again compulsory in primary school in 40 additional departments
franceinfo: Does this return of the mask hurt morale, children and their parents?
Hubert Salaün: Yes, obviously, because removing the mask was like a release. It said that things were going to get better, that we were heading towards a good period. Now that we have to put it back, it means that we are in a bad dynamic. Parents are also asking questions for our college students, our high school students who will perhaps have to go back to hybridization in some time, that is to say to be at school every other day. So obviously, this is not a good sign. A year ago, we remember that this is the time when high schools passed every other day, and it is a very bad memory for everyone.
Do you find this yo-yo effect a little disturbing?
We knew there was a limit of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. We know that a few clusters in a region can easily exceed this limit, especially in small regions. So that creates a period of instability. We ask parents to continue to pay attention to the level of their children because we feel a relaxation in society. We see the gatherings where everyone lets loose, we see the family meals. So, of course, we have to have family meals, but we must also continue to wash our hands and respect the rules of hygiene. Overall, in primary schools, as parents, we know that the rules continue to be respected because teachers also want to protect themselves. There must also be vigilance on the part of the families. You can’t do just anything.
The level 2 sanitary protocol is back, with the reduction of brewing, disinfection … Has all this disappeared in recent weeks?
I don’t think the schools stopped these rules very quickly. Schools had protocols in place and didn’t stop everything overnight. Staggered recess is also something that has been kept in many schools because it also helps reduce risks. The teachers are well placed and know we were on the line. So there is never anything guaranteed. On the other hand, we have seen at middle school and high school level that at times, a little more staff to run the canteen, to be at the entrance, to force the students to wash their hands, when would it be? even made things easier. We see that this staff has been drastically decreasing for years in high schools. It is also this staff that we need to clean, to maintain, to serve in the canteen.