Some summer schools have recently stepped up their health and safety measures in view of the coronavirus surge but have question marks on whether they will reopen after the Santa Marija break this week.

The rise in cases has put children and their education back into the spotlight, with parents starting to wonder if their kids will return to their summer activities for the rest of the holidays.

This also brings forward far-reaching concerns surrounding the opening of schools next month, reaffirming parents’  worst fears.

Since restrictions were eased in July, several children have contracted the virus, including a child who attended summer school programme SkolaSajf.

Funsize Heroes in Naxxar is worried about the upcoming break as it will not be able to track children’s movements. It is hoping for cooperation.

“Unfortunately, it could be a turning point,” said coordinator Abigail Mifsud. “We have just come out of it and we are going back in with a bang.”

Mifsud said she had question marks about what would happen and felt “lost”, with the government not taking a stand and no direction from health authorities.

Everything hinged on developments next week, she said, stressing that “if we see it is unsafe, we will not put children, parents and staff in danger”.

Funsize Heroes recently updated its regulations, telling parents that from the end of July, children returning to the summer club from abroad, or after attending crowded events, such as feasts, would be required to stay away for five days, take a swab test on the sixth day for a more accurate result and to avoid re-taking it, and to send these in before going back to school.

Mifsud, however, acknowledged that these measures were not foolproof in that family members in the same circumstances were not obliged to test, although it has been recommended that all those living together do so.

“This update is being implemented further to recent developments to safeguard our community,” Funsize Heroes said, adding that the whole team, including supporting organisations, were advised to follow its revised regulations.

Chiswick summer school too has upped its already stringent measures as the number of cases started to rise, making its strict protocols in line with childcare centres even tighter. It has asked parents to wear masks for drop-off and collection and make sure that children with “half a sniffle” stay home.

We have just come out of it and we are going back in with a bang

Bernie Mizzi, Chiswick House and St Martin’s School director, said the situation was being monitored closely and parents have been told to be prepared for any eventuality, including not opening after the Santa Marija break and the possibility of taking quick action only days before the start.

“Everything is possible,” she said, “and we need to be sensible.”

The most crucial thing for Malta is that schools open in September, Mizzi insisted, warning against short-sightedness and the massive impact on the economy if parents are unable to work.

Schools need to be prioritised, she said, listing in order of importance the children, followed by the parents and teachers and finally the economy. All stakeholders had to come together to work towards this.

Mizzi is on the same page as the UK Children’s Commissioner, who has said schools should be the last places to shut in future lockdowns after non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants.

Children have a right to education and must not be an “afterthought” – schools should be first to open and last to close, the commissioner said.

Other summer schools that downsized to barely a quarter of their student intake, such as The Fun Factory, or those that have no more than five children per teacher, should be able to continue operating.

Green Living, though, tested the waters and pulled the plug immediately, saying it was not worth the risks.

“We were left in dark and to our own devices in June and opted to change a winning formula by having less than 20 children and operating at a loss,” said Alan Montanaro, director of Helen O’Grady Academy, running The Fun Factory summer school in Attard. It has closed for August and is due to open on September 7.

“We went in for it with strict measures based on the worst-case scenario and we are now in the worst-case scenario,” Montanaro lamented.

He expressed worry about the implications of closed schools on the children, who “need to play, fight, argue, get sick and build immunity,” as well as about the long-term effects that calling off school would have on their parents.

Among the new patients is a child who attended SkolaSajf, but the superintendent of public health reassured parents that contact tracing is under way and that authorities were prepared for cases to crop up within schools. 

“We reduced class sizes and increased the distance between children to greatly reduce the risk of transmission,” said Charmaine Gauci, who was back to her routine press briefings sooner than expected.

Four of the cases on Thursday were also children, however these were not attending summer school. The resurgence has seen the number of active cases rise from just three on July 17 to 311 by Friday.