Austria announces slight relaxation to mask-wearing at school
The requirement for students to wear FFP2 masks while seated at school will be removed for primary school children from February 14th, the Minister for Education said on Wednesday.
Starting from February 7th, in those schools that are not on holiday, Minister Martin Polaschek said that masks no longer need to be worn during physical education lessons -- though he said outdoor, distanced lessons were recommended if possible.
This first change applies to all ages, but the February 14th change removing the requirement to wear masks when seated only applies to the Volksschule, for children in grades 1 to 4.
The so-called 'safety phase' which includes the need to take tests at school three times per week will remain in place until the end of February.
From next week, at least two of these tests must be the more reliable PCR tests. This is already the case in Vienna and Austria tried to extend the rule to all regions in January, but initially this was not possible due to problems with lab capacity.
Austria is expecting to reach the peak of the Omicron wave this weekend, and is also relaxing measures in other parts of society, starting by extending the current 10pm curfew on restaurants and bars to midnight from February 5th.
Polaschek said that at the end of February, the government will consult again with experts on how to continue gradually removing mask requirements in schools.
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Starting from February 7th, in those schools that are not on holiday, Minister Martin Polaschek said that masks no longer need to be worn during physical education lessons -- though he said outdoor, distanced lessons were recommended if possible.
This first change applies to all ages, but the February 14th change removing the requirement to wear masks when seated only applies to the Volksschule, for children in grades 1 to 4.
The so-called 'safety phase' which includes the need to take tests at school three times per week will remain in place until the end of February.
From next week, at least two of these tests must be the more reliable PCR tests. This is already the case in Vienna and Austria tried to extend the rule to all regions in January, but initially this was not possible due to problems with lab capacity.
Austria is expecting to reach the peak of the Omicron wave this weekend, and is also relaxing measures in other parts of society, starting by extending the current 10pm curfew on restaurants and bars to midnight from February 5th.
Polaschek said that at the end of February, the government will consult again with experts on how to continue gradually removing mask requirements in schools.
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