Schools to open on 28 September; students aged over 11, staff to wear masks

Malta will be re-opening its schools on 28 September, the principal permanent secretary in the Education Ministry Frank Fabri confirmed yesterday.

In the coming hours, the health superintendence will be publishing the guidelines needed for the opening of the schools, based on scientific evidence, he said.

The world has understood that schools cannot remain closed, and so protocols have been established for education to continue, Fabri said.

He said the ministry held discussions with all the stakeholders and took part in a conference with the World Health Organisation on the matter.

Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said that it is important that anyone who is sick, including the staff, does not go to school.

Parents should check their children's temperature before they go to school, Gauci said. Any children with symptoms should not be sent to school, so as to reduce any possible contagion.

Gauci emphasised the need to continue wearing masks and the practice of social distancing, and the number of students in class should be kept at the minimum possible.

Bubbles should be created to keep the same students near each other as much as possible, so as to limit any possible transmission to a limited number, Gauci said.

Children aged three or less are not to wear masks, while children aged between 3 and 11 must wear masks in the common areas. All staff and children aged 12 and over must wear masks at all times.

Protocols have also been established for school transport, with Gauci saying that windows should be kept open at all times and the names of students on each bus will be taken to make contact tracing exercises easier in case one of the students contracts the virus.

Schools were closed in mid-March a few days after the first case of Coronavirus was registered in Malta.