School closings illegal? Karlsruhe is examining Corona measure – experts express themselves tellingly

The Federal Constitutional Court is examining the legality of a controversial Corona measure: the school closings. Experts agree: the harm outweighs the benefit.

Karlsruhe – The measures of the outgoing federal government to combat the corona pandemic received a lot of criticism. There have already been several constitutional complaints before the Federal Constitutional Court about the nationwide emergency brake that was imposed in the spring. One of the most controversial measures was the closure of schools.

Criticism of corona policy: Federal Constitutional Court is examining school closings

Were the school closings really legal during the corona pandemic? This is the question asked by the Federal Constitutional Court, which wants to decide on dozen of complaints on this matter by the end of November. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported, a law firm from Stuttgart also filed a lawsuit against the measure. According to this, questions should not only be asked about the contribution that schools made to the infection process, but also the consequences of the closings for schoolchildren.

The court asked aloud about this SZ Experts, including the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research and the well-known virologist Christian Drosten. The German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, the Professional Association of Pediatricians and the Child Protection Association were also consulted.

The pandemic created a tense situation among schoolchildren – the effects of “homeschooling” can already be seen

The effects of the change between “homeschooling” and face-to-face teaching for schoolchildren in Germany can already be foreseen: The statements painted unsightly pictures. RKI President Lothar Wieler said according to information from Süddeutsche Zeitungthat the school closings had “led to more family tensions, more partnership conflicts and domestic violence”. The situation was particularly tense in families with children under the age of 14. According to pediatricians, physical complaints such as insomnia, headaches and abdominal pain are also said to have increased. “Homeschooling” also delayed the development of some children and decreased their fitness.

With regard to the infectiousness of children, however, the experts do not agree: While virologist Christian Drosten assumes that children are just as infectious as adults, the RKI and the Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases informed them Southgerman newspaperthat “children are likely to have a lower viral load than adults” and are less infectious.

Experts: The damage caused by school closings is greater than the benefit

The German Society for Epidemiology admitted that school closings are “effective instruments to contain the epidemic”, but experts agreed that schools are not the drivers of the pandemic. The general conclusion, apparently, was that the harm of the measure outweighs the benefits. Will the constitutional judges draw a similar conclusion? After all, the expert opinions were drawn up in July. At that time, the seven-day incidence of ten to 14-year-olds was 14. According to the RKI, it has now risen to 718. (sf)