Keep Those Masks On: Church Insists Classroom Masking Rule Should Be Extended Until End Of May
Church schools have come out against the upcoming removal of mandatory masks in classrooms, set to come into force on Wednesday, insisting the rule should be extended until the end of May.
In a statement, the Curia warned that schools have been hit hardest by COVID-19, with “record numbers of sick students and staff”, and that removing the mask rule now will have an impact on parents, who will have to stay home to take care of their children.
“Throughout discussions with Government on COVID-19 measures in schools, Church Schools always made it very clear that, while they are in favour of the eventual removal of face masks in classrooms, the use of masks has been an effective measure in controlling the pandemic in schools,” the statement read.
“Therefore, considering that students often spend up to six hours a day together in the same room, this should be the last measure to be withdrawn.”
The Curia said that the rule should be extended to the end of May and that if the 13th April date remains in force, then schools should be allowed to mandate mask use independently “according to their own context and decision”.
Alternatively, they proposed that the government only mandate the removal of masks in outdoor areas such as grounds and playing fields, while keeping them mandatory in classrooms and other indoor spaces.
“The decision to start removing the mandatory indoor use of masks in Malta by starting with schools risks damaging the positive process of the management of COVID-19 in schools which has been achieved so far between the health authorities and all educational stakeholders, thanks to good communication, mutual cooperation and goodwill,” the statement reads.
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