Children can return to school in person, but with mandatory testing twice a week, and teachers will either have to have a green certificate or be tested as well. These decisions were made last week. Thousands of questions followed about how this would happen and whether anyone's rights were being violated. What is clear at this stage and how the measures are taken checked Victoria Boyadzhieva.

We meet you with Milena Hristova and her daughter Elektra. Both are preparing for what lies ahead for all students between first and fourth grade. They prefer testing to online learning. However, some mothers of children in Electra's class write in general chats that they will never agree because they find it an experiment with their children that will traumatize them. Milena considers such statements to be contrary to common sense.

"If this is the price for our children to be healthy and to be present at school, I agree. I can't say that the child accepted this with enthusiasm, but it was not something that would extremely traumatize her", the mother shared.

It is not yet clear who will take the children's samples. Two options are being discussed - parents at home or teachers before the first lesson.

"There are 23 children in my daughter's class. I can't understand how everyone will be examined," Milena added.

At the 23rd Frederic Joliot-Curie High School in Sofia, the issue is being hotly debated among educators.

"Most likely, most of them will accept this obligation, which does not fit into all the positions and commitments of the teacher. It is not good to do the tests in class, the infection can spread ", commented Nina Tsoneva, director of the school.

On this issue we turned to a specialist in the epidemiology of infectious diseases.

"When spitting, an amount of aerosol is released that may contain the virus. Therefore, children should not be next to each other. It is more epidemiologically sustainable to use lollipops ", explained Dr. Hristiana Batselova.

However, the lollipops were rejected as an idea. Some parents feared they would harm their children.

"There are no harmful substances in the lollipops. They are called “lollipops”, but in fact there is nothing to lick on them", claims the specialist.

According to the epidemiologist, it is not possible for saliva tests to show a positive result in the presence of a completely different virus. In the end, the Ministry of Health launched a public tender for spit tests and BGN 13 million will be allocated. Their efficiency reaches 95%, as long as the sample is taken correctly.

In the meantime, it has become clear that teachers will also need to have green certificates in order to go to work. The Education trade union published statistics according to which 35% of teachers would leave because of this.

"The choice of whether to get vaccinated or not should be left to each of us. On the other hand, I would like the teachers and staff of the school that my daughter attends to have such a certificate," said Milena Hristova.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that to date, nearly 5% of vaccinated students and almost 39% of immunized teachers. The ministry said teachers who do not have green certificates will be tested twice a week with antigen tests, which will be provided by the ministry and will be free for teachers.

Thus, the answers to all questions are expected to be clarified next week, when the tests for children will be purchased and distributed.

/Nova

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