The Secretary of Education, Catalino Zavala, presented the protocol to return to the classrooms safely with the new normality this Monday, stating that this will be when this agency and the Secretariat of Health confirm it, besides being a gradual return, but above all with the authorization of the parents.

In case parents do not want to send their children to school, they will continue with online classes, thus maintaining a mixed education.

"The Learn at Home program will continue, in such a way that those who are not in school at the moment according to the protocols validated by health, will be following the program at a distance as it is currently being done."

In addition, Zavala pointed out that before returning to the classrooms, vaccination of teachers and support staff will be guaranteed. A participatory school health committee will also be established, made up of teachers, parents, and representatives of mothers, fathers and/or guardians, who will observe whether proper hygiene and safety measures are being complied with.

At the same time, they will ensure that the schools have soap and water, that students use masks, that open spaces are used, and that social distancing is maintained.

For the latter, entrances and exits will be supervised, fixed spaces will be designated for students and class attendance will be divided by last names, said the Secretary, who added that all school ceremonies or meetings will also be suspended.

On the other hand, in order to avoid any COVID-19 infection, an early detection process was proposed, which consists of three filters, as shown below:

-Home filter: Fathers, mothers, guardians or those responsible for the students should be responsible for identifying the presence of symptoms on a daily basis. They must also hand in a letter of commitment at the entrance of the school, confirming that they have carried out the filter.

-School entrance filter: Every day and throughout the school period, hygiene and safety measures will be applied (temperature taking, antibacterial gel, use of masks) to all persons wishing to enter the campus.

-Classroom filtering: A questionnaire will be administered to students and teachers at the school entrance to identify symptoms of respiratory disease.

Catalino Zavala mentioned that it is expected that by August 2021 all of the aforementioned will be in place, however, the authorization from the Secretariat of Health for an in-person return is still awaited.

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