Teachers' union opposes schools' physical reopening next Monday

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) is against the physical reopening of schools next Monday, insisting that they should not be the first measures to be relaxed.

The union said it made this point clear this morning during a meeting it had with health authorities.

The MUT said schools were closed when a COVID-19 virus variant caused the majority of positive cases in schools, sending hundreds of students, educators and families into quarantine. 

On 10 March, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced new restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 and ease the pressure on hospitals; this included the closure of educational establishments. These measures are currently in effect until 11 April. 

Recently the health authorities said they were drafting a plan to ease measures after 11 April. However, no details were given as to what the plan will include or whether it will be made public. 

The union said that under the current regulations, no more than two people from different households could gather together while schools will have 25 students and their educators in the same room for six hours. 

In the light of these considerations, the MUT has called for a "sensible" plan to relax measures that does not put educators, students and families in a similar situation they were in a few weeks ago.

Malta registered a surge in COVID-19 cases at the start of the year, which prompted the authorities to take drastic measures to curb the spread of the infection.