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Berlin (dpa / bb) - In the future, new types of corona rapid tests are to be used across the board at Berlin's schools and daycare centers.
Schoolchildren, teachers and other employees at schools as well as daycare educators are to be tested for the corona virus twice a week, as Education Senator Sandra Scheeres (SPD) announced on Tuesday after the Senate meeting.
The tests that anyone can do themselves are therefore voluntary.
If the result is positive, a so-called PCR retesting with laboratory evaluation is required.
The Senate wants to provide capacities for this, as it was said.
According to Scheeres, the self-tests are intended to expand the Berlin test strategy.
In the coming months, 32 million euros are initially planned for this.
In addition, 240,000 rapid tests for the Berlin daycare centers are currently being delivered to the districts, which have to be carried out by trained staff.
These tests are also intended for daycare workers.
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"Self-tests can make an important contribution to corona prevention," explained Scheeres.
"That is why we make regular and comprehensive self-tests possible at schools and daycare centers."
Testing of the daycare children is not planned.
A total of 70 million "support package for schools and daycare centers in the pandemic", which the Senate decided, also includes additional mobile air cleaning devices for schools.
In addition to the previous 1200 devices, 2800 more devices will be purchased by Easter.
A further 3500 should then go into operation by summer.
A total of 15 million euros are planned for this.
It should also be possible to finance air purification devices for daycare centers if the providers apply.
In addition, the state provides a further 700,000 FFP2 masks as well as medical masks for the employees in every school, day care center, day care center and inpatient facilities for youth and integration assistance.
Fever thermometers for schools and daycare centers are also being purchased on a larger scale.
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The package also includes 12,000 mobile devices for teaching staff in schools to stream video conferences.
The Senate is making an additional eleven million euros available for this.
Berlin has already financed 50,000 tablets for schoolchildren from state funds.
Certain learning aids, not least those for disadvantaged children, are being re-launched or expanded, as Scheeres added.
The so-called holiday school is also to be offered during the Easter holidays.
In the course of the lockdown to contain the corona pandemic, the schools in Berlin are currently largely closed, daycare centers are working in emergency mode.
The federal and state governments will discuss on Wednesday whether the lockdown, which is initially limited to February 14, will be extended.
This also includes the question of when and in what steps schools and daycare centers will open again on a regular basis.
The question of corona tests also plays an important role.
If the corona numbers continued to fall, the education ministers of the federal states spoke out in favor of the schools gradually opening again from next week.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210209-99-365880 / 3
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Corona situation in Berlin