Teachers ask that school days missed as a result of flu not be counted
The union representing teachers at Greece's public schools on Friday lodged a request with the Education Ministry to grant students who miss school as a result of the flu a pass.
In a letter addressed to Health Minister Costas Gavroglou, OLME asked for the seasonal flu to be added to the list of reasons why students are allowed to miss attendance, saying that the measure would also encourage the parents of sick children to keep them at home rather than put other pupils “at risk.”
Greece is in the grips of a particularly nasty flu season, with the death toll from reaching 39 since October.
At a press conference on Thursday, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (KEELPNO) said there has been a spike in cases over the last 10 days, when 21 out of this flu season’s 39 deaths occurred, while more than 50 patients were put in intensive care. The overwhelming majority of those cases involved people in high-risk groups – the elderly, young children and people with chronic ailments.
