Turkey ends outdoor mask requirement: What about schools?

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca addressed the public after the meeting of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board yesterday (March 2) and shared the new COVID-19 pandemic rules to be followed at schools.

According to the new decisions;

* Classrooms will no longer be closed if there are two novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. The student who has tested positive for the virus will be isolated and the in-class education will continue.

* At schools, wearing masks will be obligatory in closed spaces, in cases when social distance cannot be maintained and in classrooms.

* Masks will also be worn in places where social distance cannot be ensured such as school buses, buses, planes and cinema halls.

In response to a question on Turkey's domestically produced TURKOVAC vaccine, Koca said, "We want to administer it in all our medical institutions, including family health centers, starting from next week."

CLICK - Turkey lifts outdoor mask, contact tracing code requirement

Özer said 'in-class education to continue'

Turkey's Minister of National Education also talked to the press about in-class education amid the COVID-19 pandemic yesterday.

Speaking in Turkey's western province of Düzce, Minister Özer said, "Strictly abiding by the recommendations of the Health Ministry and Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, we protect schools as the safest places in society and determinedly continue the in-class education."

The Minister also shared statistics about the vaccination rates of teachers in primary, secondary and high schools in Turkey.

According to the data shared by Özer, as of yesterday, the rate of teachers who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has reached 94 percent. While 90 percent of teachers have received at least two doses, 53 percent have received at least three doses.

When will the second semester end?

Following a 1.5-year suspension of in-class education, the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year began with full-time in-class education on September 6, 2021. After the semester break ended on February 4, 2022, teachers and students returned to schools on February 7.

Currently in the second semester of the 2021-2022 school year, students and teachers will have a mid-term break between April 11 and 15, 2022. The second semester will end on June 17, 2022.

Current situation in Turkey amid the pandemic

The Ministry of Health announced the latest figures on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Turkey yesterday (March 2).

While the daily number of new cases has been announced as 56,780, 189 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Turkey in the last 24 hours. While 68,268 people have recovered in a day, the number of tests conducted in the last 24 hours has been announced as 407,536. (RT/SD)