One of the high schools in my city in Germany closed last week because a teacher and a pupil tested positive for COVID-19. I thought it might be interesting to tell you how the city and the school handled it.

https://www.mainpost.de/regional/wuerzburg/roentgen-gymnasium-nur-noch-eine-klasse-bleibt-zu-hause;art735,10501049

On Sunday evening, parents received the first in a series of emails from the school to inform them that the school would be closed from Monday to Wednesday.

A second email gave instructions that all pupils and staff (850 people) needed to be tested.

A testing station was set up for the school. In 5 minute slots over the next two days, every pupil and staff member was tested, alongside any parent or sibling who wanted tested.

There were at times long queues as some people from the city also headed there to be tested.

All in all, some 1400 people were tested over two days.

This school-specific testing site was unusual here. Most schools had a class or a year group sent home for quarantine and testing if a positive case was reported.

But in the Röntgen Gymnasium (named after the guy who invented x-rays and fun fact - the school that Dirk Nowitzki attended!) had both positive cases and a number of symptomatic cases who were waiting on test results.

The local health authority (Gesundheitsamt) decided that it was safer to close the entire school for three days. On Wednesday, however, there was some uncertainty about some of the tests that had come back as inconclusive. The school would stay closed for 2 more days.

By the weekend, the results were in. All in all, there were FOUR cases at the school. None of those cases were infected in the school.

Some individuals with COVID-19 symptoms are still isolating.

The school has a plan to get the kids back safely, starting with the staggered return of the year groups on Monday morning so that every child can provide evidence of their negative test.

It's important to note that, due to rising cases in Germany and particularly in this area, children went back to school two weeks ago under COVID-19 restrictions. Social distancing, lots of handwashing and ventilation. And masks.

It was quite controversial here, to ask kids and school staff to wear facemasks all day. There was even a court case from a mother trying to get an exception for her two daughters (she lost).

But it seems clear to me that they helped prevent spread.

850 pupils and staff and no infections (so far) within the school community. The grumbling about masks has quietened a bit.

HUGE respect to the school leaders and staff, who are now working hard on getting distance learning working in case this happens again.

Important note - education policy and COVID-19 response is devolved to the federal states, in our case that’s Bavaria.

I think that’s why the response has been so quick and efficient - as it’s not centralised from Berlin.

An example of that is the current rapid response testing site that is deployed by the region of Unterfranken. It can be sent to a new city daily, depending on where its most needed.

And I’ll stress here - as I don’t think I made it clear - this was one of 10 schools in the city with a COVID-19 case since schools went back.

The other schools stayed open and only quarantined and tested individual classes or year groups.

Someone asked about ventilation. Windows are open all day, and the school is built to allow cross-ventilation (with door and windows on either side of the building open).

It’s also an old building with high ceilings and big windows.

Some classrooms were too small and these classes have been moved to a local municipal building. This enables adherence to social distancing requirements.

Masks worn all day, even in classrooms and during break.

Related : neighbouring state of Hesse offers teachers fortnightly testing. Just 4 teachers out of 32,000 have tested positive. https://twitter.com/schoolduggery/status/1307575481559023618

According to that article 4.718 pupils out of a total of 760.000 have missed attending school due to quarantine because of a suspected case (as of 18th September). That’s 0,62%.

Adding this as I realised it’s highly relevant -

Our city has one of the highest infection rates in the country at the moment. 60-70 cases per 100,000 inhabitants / 7 days.