French Teachers and Parents Reject COVID-19 Protocols

On Thursday, French teachers took to the streets to protest inconsistent health policies, which have involved three different COVID-19 protocols in less than a week.

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 “This is not a strike against the virus, it’s a strike against the lack of consultation.” the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT) Secretary Laurent Berger said, commenting that the strike has been supported by 62 percent of high-school teachers and 75 percent of elementary school workers.

The widespread discontent against President Emmanuel Macron's administration has mobilized virtually all unions in the education sector and the leading parents' groups.

In the main French cities, teachers and parents are demonstrating against  COVID-protocols. Social organizations called for protests in the Luxembourg Gardens park, next to the Senate in Paris.

On the eve of the return to classes on Jan. 2, the Education Ministry published a complex health protocol, which was later justified by Prime Minister Jean Castex, arguing that "otherwise" omicron would spread rapidly and "in a few days, all classes would be closed in France."
The stringent provisions of the protocol were relaxed twice after that day. 

Meanwhile, the hospital situation continues to worsen due to the increase in the number of patients requiring intensive care. Over the last 24 hours, France recorded 361,719 COVID-19 infections and 294 related deaths.