Joint information of the Ministries of Education and Health

As you know, according to the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers on the organization of the educational and training process in educational institutions, full-time classes have begun from September 22 for I-IV classes, and from September 29 for V-XI classes. During this period, the educational process in educational institutions was organized in accordance with the rules of a special quarantine regime. More than 80 percent of education workers working in general secondary schools received 2 doses of vaccine against COVID-19 virus.   

We would like to note that if coronavirus infection is detected in schools in accordance with the relevant regulations, the decision on local lockdown is taken on the basis of the decisions of the Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health. So, since the beginning of education in the country, 19 schools (0.4%) out of 4432 general education institutions, 505 classes (0.6%) out of 89,674 classes were transferred to remote form of education. In 72 of these classes the full-time form of education has already been restored. At present 433 classes are continuing in the distance form of education.

So far, 3,477 out of 1,595,108 students (0.2 percent) and 2,494 (1 percent) out of 229,871 school staff have been infected with COVID-19. The number of people infected in grades I-IV was 637 students, in grades V-IX was 1755 students, and in grades X-XI was 898 students.

Given the cases of infection among schoolchildren, parents are advised to involve adolescents over 12 years of age with appropriate medical indexes in vaccination. Vaccination of adolescents is carried out at the Baku Health Center with the consent of both parents.

The fact that a more contagious strain of "Delta" coronavirus is on the agenda, as well as season-related weather changes, increases the risk of a more widespread epidemic. In such a case, it becomes necessary to administer a 3rd (buster) dose to increase immunity to the disease. With this in mind, the Ministry of Health deems it necessary for teachers who have received 2 doses of the vaccine to be vaccinated with a third dose (buster dose) 6 months after the second dose.

We would like to note that currently the educational process in general education schools continues in accordance with current regulations, and in the coming weeks there are no plans to transfer all schools to distance learning. For traditional education to be sustainable, it is important to maintain social distance, to observe sanitary and hygienic rules. In the coming weeks, the process of transferring classes to distance learning in case of contamination will continue, and individual schools in case of more widespread contamination, and the public will be informed regularly.