Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – At the start of school after the Christmas holidays, the strict corona requirements for pregnant teachers will be relaxed. From Monday onwards, they may wear an FFP2 mask for a maximum of 360 minutes a day, i.e. for six hours, according to a letter from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Education to the schools. “This applies to all types of schools,” said a spokesman for the ministry on Saturday in Stuttgart.
Previously, pregnant teachers were only allowed to wear an FFP2 mask for a maximum of 30 minutes a day. In practice, this meant that they were hardly able to teach in person. First the Südwestrundfunk had reported about it.
This extension of the gestation period opens up more leeway in the schools when using pregnant women in face-to-face classes, the letter goes on to say. However, the prerequisite is that sufficient mask breaks are possible and the minimum distance of 1.5 meters is maintained. It also says: “A pregnant woman may only be employed in activities for which the school management has specified suitable protective measures in the legally required risk assessment.” The decision as to which protective measures are necessary for a pregnant or breastfeeding woman is always a case-by-case decision within the framework of this risk assessment.
According to the ministry, pregnant teachers may wear the FFP2 mask for a maximum of 75 minutes at a time. And then it must be ensured “that the pregnant woman can do activities for 30 minutes where she does not have to wear a mask”.
The GEW union welcomed the easing. This is good news for the schools because of the many absences due to illness. “Every hour they get more helps,” said GEW Managing Director Matthias Schneider to Südwestrundfunk.
