A municipal primary school in Schaerbeek in Brussels has closed down until Friday after one of the children tested positive for Covid-19.
The school, in the Helmet area of the commune, took the measure as a precaution. The child in question is one of four in the same family, but the only one so far to be tested. The mother also tested positive.
Neither currently has any symptoms that would necessitate a hospital admission, but are in quarantine at home.
The remaining three children are considered possible carriers of the virus. At first, the school decided to close down the classes in contact with the various children. However, due to concerns from other parents, the school is now closed until Friday, when the situation will be reviewed.
The closure also affects the adjoining crèche, Les Amis de Mimi. Many of the children in the bubbles of the family affected also have younger siblings at the crèche.
No daycare is being provided today, but a solution will be sought for Thursday and Friday.
“As a precaution, we have closed all the bubbles of this school until Friday so as not to take any risks,” said Michel De Herde, communal councillor for education. “We would rather be too careful than careless,” he said.
The children in the bubbles directly concerned have been sent home until 30 June, and are also in quarantine for two weeks.
Meanwhile a primary school in the Stockel area of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre has closed the first, fourth and sixth classes after one of the pupils tested positive for Covid-19. Children in those bubbles have been quarantined.
The timing means that for the children in both schools who were sent home, the school year is now effectively over.
In the case of the Stockel school, a pre-school will remain open, as the premises are completely separate from the primary school.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
