QCOSTARICA – Public and private schools will remain open despite the critical moment of the covid-19 pandemic facing the country.
The decision, announced on Thursday by the Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, was based on the fact that the return of students to classrooms, on February 8, has not been a cause of an increase in infections.
“A close follow-up was given to this opening and, as you know, there was no increase in cases at the expected epidemiological moment, if the health protocols had not been effective,” Salas responded to a request made on Wednesday by the National Medical Union for the suspension of face-to-face classes due to the new pandemic wave.
The minister was emphatic that education “constitutes one of the pillars of the country’s social development and a fundamental element for public health, so it must be protected as much as possible through alternative measures that limit contagion, but do not hinder the learning of the vulnerable population, mainly”.
Of course, Salas added that this does not exclude a constant analysis to evaluate a cessation of lessons. That, however, would be an “extreme measure.”
According to information from the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), during the week from April 9 to 15, infections in the institution were 280: 127 in teachers, 24 in support personnel and 129 students.
The MEP has a workforce of 88,000 and operates more than 5,000 educational centers.