"No School Lockdown" Germany Opens Schools Despite Omicron Spread

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Despite the spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, elementary, middle, and high schools in five German states have ended their vacations and returned to in-person classes.

According to local media on the 3rd (local time), five states including the capital Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, and Rhineland-Palatinate reopened schools on this day. Saarland and Hamburg are scheduled to open schools without lockdown on the 4th and 5th, respectively.

German education authorities plan to maintain in-person classes at schools and daycare centers and provide extensive testing opportunities.

Karl Lauterbach, Germany’s Minister of Health, told Bild am Sonntag, "Because the viral load is lower with Omicron, masks are more effective," emphasizing, "Wearing masks in schools is absolutely necessary."

Parents and some officials have expressed concerns about returning to in-person classes amid the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Janosch Damen, a Green Party health policy expert and federal lawmaker, pointed out that daily PCR testing should be conducted during the first two weeks at schools and daycare centers, and that schools and education authorities must prepare for the possibility of teachers testing positive.

According to data from Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of new COVID-19 cases in Germany yesterday was 18,518, an increase of 4,610 compared to a week ago. The daily death toll was 68.

The COVID-19 incidence rate per 100,000 people over the past week was 232.4, rising for five consecutive days.

Germany plans to hold a meeting of the 16 state premiers chaired by Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the 7th to discuss shortening quarantine periods for vaccinated individuals and strengthening additional gathering restrictions in preparation for the rapid spread of Omicron.

German health authorities believe that the actual infection rate may be two to three times higher than the official number of new COVID-19 cases.

Karl Lauterbach explained that during the Christmas and New Year holidays at the end of last month, fewer COVID-19 tests were conducted, and only some test results were reported to authorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.