Access to school of children with COVID-19 symptoms to be restricted for 14 days unless tested

Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu said on Tuesday that if parents refuse to give their consent on their school children who show symptoms of COVID-19 being tested, in-person access of such children will be restricted for 14 days. "From my point of view, the information has been the same from the beginning. The form is not mandatory. The form is only for students who, unfortunately, may have symptoms. If those symptoms are confirmed, then the student is confirmed to be positive, and that test form also applies to the parents, direct contacts of such student, parents who have to give or refuse their consent on the form. If they give their consent - which is not obligatory - the student will be able to be tested in school, if there is a doctor's office; if there is no doctor's office - because the test is a medical act and not an educational one - the student will be able to be tested by the public health directorates. If they refuse to give their consent, the student's in-person access will unfortunately be restricted for a period of 14 days," Cimpeanu told Digi 24 private broadcaster. He emphasised that "the form has never been mandatory" and is used only is special instances. "On the other hand, if there are parents who want to give their consent in advance, no one can stop them. But no one asks them to give their consent in advance. The point of view of the Ministry of Education is as clear as possible," the minister added. Cimpeanu added that after the first day of school, 8,872 medical certificates were submitted for students and 1,200 medical certificates for teachers. Medical certificates may be submitted in electronic format to teachers, professors, form masters. Cimpeanu said that the first day of school unfolded in very good circumstances. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)