Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jagoda Shahpaska told Slobodna TV’s Morning Briefing show on Thursday that the situation in kindergartens is still under control and that they abide by protocols.
The large amount of people in isolation, she added, is due to the fact that if one teacher tests positive, their whole group of about 15 children, as well as their co-worker are ordered to isolate.
The Labor Minister noted that 482 kindergarteners and 77 staffers are currently isolating. As of Wednesday, 26 kindergarteners and 92 staffers have tested positive for COVID-19.
“We monitor the situation, conduct inspections and get daily reports on new cases in kindergartens. The situation is under control. If you compare the number of children in kindergartens to the number of those infected, you can see that stakeholders abide by the protocols in place,” Shahpaska told the Morning Briefing show.
She stressed the health condition of infected kindergarteners and staffers is good.
“Only two of them had been hospitalized, one child and one adult,” the Minister noted.
Shahpaka stressed that 90% of kindergartens have been inspected to determine whether they abide by protocols and additional inspections are being carried out in places where violations were registered.
“Based on additional inspections, kindergartens are issued guidelines to eliminate shortcomings. Moreover, the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate, the institution in charge of implementation of protocols, has inspected over 90% of kindergartens,” Shahpaska added.