Factsheet for measure
HR-2022-7/2175
–
Updated
– measures in Croatia
COVID-19 self-testing by pupils and students in primary and secondary schools
Samo testiranje učenika u osnovnim i srednjim školama protiv COVID-19
Background information
As many pupils and students in primary and secondary schools suffered from the COVID-19 pandemics, according to the decision by the Civil Protection Headquarters and the Instruction by the Ministry of Science and Education, rapid antigen tests would be delivered to schools, after which the schools distribute the tests to parents or guardians or students.
Content of measure
Testing is conducted once a week by a parent, guardian, or student on Sunday evening or Monday morning. If the test result is positive, information about the positive test is reported to the educational institution's selected family doctor or pediatrician. All students with a negative result continue to attend classes regularly, and if they test positive, they do not come to school. Testing is repeated for the entire class in which positive test results are determined the first day after a student receives a positive COVID test. The distribution of tests had begun, what is according to the Minister of education, a de facto process of abolishing self-isolation for students so that all those who are not ill are in school. This is not a step towards mandatory testing or vaccination. The first part of the tests, about 300,000, went to Dalmatia on 8 February 2022, primarily to the islands, as it is a bit more challenging to distribute there. The rest, up to a million, were expected to arrive at civil protection warehouses on 9 February 2022, and the moment these tests were received, they immediately moved on to schools.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
|
18 August 2022
|
The new school year in Croatia starts on 5 September 2022, and according to information obtained from the Ministry of Science and Education, no COVID-19 protocols will be in place at the beginning of the school year. At the beginning of the previous school year, students were required to measure their body temperature and protective masks were obligatory. Such rules will not be applied at the start of the 2022-2023 school year. However, some of the earlier recommendations, will continue to be in effect. These include regular cleaning and airing of classrooms. If a student tests positive for coronavirus, they must be put in isolation, while all other children, who are their close contacts, can continue attending school. The protective masks will not be mandatory for anyone. In fact, they are not recommended for children of preschool age and students of the first four grades of elementary schools. Others, especially adults, can continue to wear masks if they feel they need them. Masks are recommended for people with chronic diseases. If there are no new pressures on the education system due to a possible new wave of the epidemic, classes should therefore start as normal. Keep the duration of the school hour at the traditional 45 minutes, instead of the epidemiological 40, due to the need to clean and disinfect the school premises between the two shifts.
|
|
10 February 2022
|
The Ministry of Science and Education answered to 46 various questions on implementation of the student self-testing. The goal of student self-testing is to increase the probability of holding classes in person, on the school premises, for as long as possible by abolishing self-isolation measures (quarantine). An additional goal is to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19 in school and the family. The regular self-testing measure is voluntary. However, for its successful and effective implementation, it is important that as many students as possible participate in regular self-testing. The distribution of the tests in schools has already begun, and principals received instructions to implement the measure. Each student now receives two tests, and testing is done on Sunday before bed or Monday morning. Students who have been vaccinated with two or who have been vaccinated and then vaccinated with one dose, i.e. those who have been quarantined, can be tested as others or are tested only when a positive case occurs in the classroom. In the answers, the Ministry explained how the self-testing is conducted. If the testing result is positive, the student stays at home.
|
Use of measure
By the end of the week 11 February or early Monday 14 February, all schools will have tests available. If the number of positive infected dropped significantly in February 2022, the testing would be performed only in those classes when it is ordered. After that, it would be ordered when a positive case occurs. Responsible the Civil Protection Headquarters and the Ministry of Science and Education would go for the complete abolition of both testing and self-isolation if the data from the field justify it.
Target groups
|
Workers
|
Businesses
|
Citizens
|
|
Does not apply to workers
|
Does not apply to businesses
|
Children (minors)
|
Actors and funding
|
Actors
|
Funding
|
National government
|
National funds
|
Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
|
Trade unions
|
Employers' organisations
|
|
Role
|
No involvement as case not in social partner domain
|
No involvement as case not in social partner domain
|
|
Form
|
Not applicable
|
Not applicable
|
Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
-
No involvement
-
Main level of involvement: N/A
Involvement
Due to the nature of the measure, social partners were not involved.
Views and reactions
The representative of the Teachers' Trade Union (TTU) express a harsh critique of the announced self-testing of students. This is a measure that aims to reduce the number of self-isolations in schools, but TTU warns of possible problems that could arise during the implementation of the measure. According to their opinion, the measure is questionable both in terms of the epidemiological point of view and the financial one. Secondly, it is impossible to control it. Some parents let the sick children into the school and according to TTU this behaviour cannot be prevented with self-testing.
Sectors and occupations
-
This case is sector-specific
-
|
Economic area
|
Sector (NACE level 2)
|
|
P - Education
|
P85 Education
|
This case is not occupation-specific.
Sources
-
09 February 2022: Kako će izgledati samotestiranje učenika (How the self-testing of the students will look loke)
(www.index.hr)
-
10 February 2022: Ministarstvo odgovorilo na 46 pitanja o testiranju učenika (The Ministry responsed to 46 questions related to student self-testing
(www.srednja.hr)
-
18 August 2022: Škole neće uvoditi nova ograničenja vezana uz Covid-19 (Schools will not introduce any new Covid-19 restrictions)
(www.jutarnji.hr)
