Greece makes face masks optional for schools

Greece will be making the use of face masks for coronavirus protection optional at schools, the government announced on Tuesday, ahead of the new academic year starting on September 12.

A relevant proposal by the health experts committee at the Health Ministry was approved by the government, and announced jointly by the Health and Education & Religion Ministries.

Summarized, the directives for schools are as follows:

– The use of protective masks is optional.

– Students with symptoms of coronavirus infection will stay home and do self-tests.

– Students with confirmed infections will need to be isolated for at least 5 days. If there is no fever following this, or need for antifever medication, they can come out of isolation and return to school wearing a high-protection mask (Ν95, ΚΝ95, FFP2, or doubled-up simple surgical masks) for another 5 days.

– Hand washing must be observed, and classrooms aired properly.

The measures will be reexamined if epidemiological factors change, the ministries said, adding that a soon-to-be-published ministerial decision will give more details.