No mandatory vaccine for school staff & students, Education Minister Justyne Caruana confirms

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has confirmed that there will be no discrimination between vaccinated staff and pupils versus their unvaccinated counterparts and confirmed that vaccines will not be mandatory to enter schools.

On Tuesday, she detailed the long-awaited protocols for the upcoming 2021/2022 scholastic year.

Despite the accompanying gridlock traffic associated with the start of the school year, working parents will be pleased to see that the relatively stable COVID situation allows for children to mostly attend in person.

Virtual lessons are not being excluded, with Minister Caruana saying the focus is to have students back in class, but remote learning may have to be employed where necessary.

In addition, for the upcoming year, pupils will still have to wear masks in class, but Physical Exercise (P.E.), lab work and classroom birthday parties will be permitted.

Children in Year 8 and under will have to sit 1.5 metres apart, while those in Year 9 and up will be sat one metre apart.

Additionally, stores selling food in schools, better known as tuck shops, will be permitted to open but only prepackaged items can be sold.