The occupational groups that are guaranteed child care during school closures

Yesterday, Thursday, Parliament passed a law that allows the government to close schools. The decision was made after a record-breaking preparation and was introduced in view of the risk of a drastically deteriorated mode of infection.

During a press conference on Friday - after a meeting with the crisis management council - Education Minister Anna Ekström stressed that it is still not relevant to close schools in Sweden.

- The Public Health Authority still believes that this is not an effective measure right now, says Ekström, who was supported by Dan Eliasson, Director General of the Swedish Agency for Social Protection and Emergency Preparedness (MSB).

- Many heads of government advocate that we should not close schools, and MSB is one of them. It's a big and comprehensive thing to do and such an exercise would be a huge strain on society, says Eliasson.

In a new regulation passed by the government, twelve sectors are listed as particularly important to society. Parents in these professions should be guaranteed care for their children if preschools and primary schools are closed.

These include the sectors: energy supply, financial services, trade and industry, health care and care, information and communication, municipal technical services, food, military defense, public administration, protection and security, social security, and transport.

It will be up to MSB to decide what the new regulation will look like, announced Anna Ekström.

Even children in need of care for other reasons, such as children living in a socially vulnerable situation, will be guaranteed care. Here the municipality becomes obliged to take over the need for care.

The Minister of Education also informed that the National Agency for Education has extended its mandate regarding national tests. Until today, it has been possible to postpone exams - now the National Agency for Education is mandated to completely set national exams if it proves necessary.

MSB Director General Dan Eliasson informed that the authority had submitted a national overall picture to the government. One conclusion is that several public enterprises are now beginning to feel a strain on the viral crisis.

- But the overall assessment is that the public-critical functions function in general, says Dan Eliasson.