Tallinn crisis committee to suspend foreign placements and school trips
As part of a support for preventing the spread of coronavirus, foreign placements, school study trips and excursions will be canceled for two months. Staff or students returning from risk areas must stay home for 14 days, the city government said on Tuesday, March 10.
"All cases of coronavirus in Estonia have been diagnosed after arriving from a risk area. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, we have decided to cancel foreign placements and study trips in the coming months for the city and administered authorities. If an employee arrives from a risk area, then we will organize their work in a way that he or she could work from home during these 14 days and avoid contact with the working environment, colleagues and citizens," Head of the Crisis committee, Mayor Mikhail Kõlvart (Center), said.
Schools aren't being closed yet
The crisis committee also discussed readiness to transfer schools to e-learning to prevent the spread of the virus. The Health Board (Terviseamet) recommends schools be closed to prevent the infection from spreading once the virus has spread locally.
According to the mayor, there is no need to close all the schools in Tallinn at present, but if more students become infected, the city will make school-based decisions. "The education department has already begun preparations to get schools ready to switch to e-learning if necessary. In kindergartens, we deal with potential infections on a group basis," Kõlvart noted.
In addition, the impact of the international effect was also discussed; the city's crisis committee recommends avoiding inviting visitors from risk areas to international conferences and competitions etc.
The city's employees and civil servants continue their daily work and provision of service to the citizenry in the usual tempo.
"At the same time, we have also taken various measures to protect our employees. We have already prepared amd ordered protective masks, additionally ordered more of these and disinfected rooms regularly," Kõlvart said.
To prevent viral infections, the Health Board recommends covering your mouth with a sleeve or paper towel in addition to washing your hands when sneezing and coughing. It is advisable to keep a distance from people with signs of illness. Contact with eyes, nose and mouth should be avoided. It is advised to stay at home when noticing any respiratory symptoms and treat symptoms at home.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino
