12 million pupils return to school on Monday amidst soaring Covid cases across France. 

The government has introduced a new Covid protocol in its schools which will see a change to self-isolation and testing rules. 

The Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, said that the aim was to “ensure the protection of pupils and staff.”

Une école ouverte avec des conditions sanitaires adaptées!
Dès ce lundi 3 janvier, de nouvelles règles d’isolement et de dépistage s’appliqueront.
Ces évolutions visent à assurer la protection des élèves et des personnels.
➜ Toutes les informations : https://t.co/kxPzbPeJ5o pic.twitter.com/1bRbMeYKUu

— Jean-Michel Blanquer (@jmblanquer) January 2, 2022

Here’s what you need to know: 

Pupils over 12-years old and staff

Staff and pupils over 12-years-old must follow different procedures according to vaccination status. 

If they test positive but are fully vaccinated, they must self isolate for seven days. This can be reduced to a five day quarantine should a negative PCR or antigen test be carried out on the 5th day and if the person has been asymptomatic for 48 hours. 

If they test positive but are not fully vaccinated, they must self isolate for ten days. This can be reduced to a seven day quarantine should a negative PCR or antigen test be carried out on the 7th day. 

If they are a contact case but fully vaccinated, there are no self-isolation requirements and they can continue going to school. They must however complete self-tests on Day 2 and Day 4 (following the moment they realised they came into contact with someone infected with Covid). 

If they are a contact case but not fully vaccinated, they must self-isolate for seven days and take a PCR or antigen test on the 7th day. 

Pupils under 12-years-old 

No matter their vaccinations status, children under 12 must isolate for at least seven days if they test positive. They can leave on day five if they test negative via a PCR or antigen test and have not had any symptoms of 48 hours. 

Children under 12 must take a PCR test or antigen test immediately after realising that they are a contact case. Providing they test negative, self-tests must then be completed on Day 2 and Day 4. 

For contact case children, parents must sign an attestation sur l’honneur, stating that they have had all the necessary tests before they can return to school. You can download a template form here. 

The incidence of Covid among 5-11 year olds has exploded by a factor of 12 over the course of a month. Dozens of children are currently in intensive care after falling ill with Covid, but compared to other illnesses like gastroenteritis and bronchitis, Covid has taken a relatively small toll on this age group. 

Other measures 

Last month, Blanquer said that the government had made €20 million available for schools to install CO2 captors in schools, which allow education authorities to judge whether there is a sufficient aeration in classrooms to prevent the spread of Covid. 

France’s Scientific Council is concerned that up to a third of teachers will be off from work by the end of January due to soaring Covid cases. Blanquer said that the government is trying to ensure that recently retired teachers can be called back into service to fill the gap. 

The minister insisted that school exams would go ahead as usual and that there would not be capacity limits in exam halls and amphitheatres. 

France made all 5-11 year olds eligible for vaccination last week. 

Schools will start the new term as planned on Monday, January 3rd.