Paris, Europe Brief News – French teachers’ unions have called for a second major strike today to protest the government’s new coronavirus protocol.
Mobilisation is expected to be boosted by anger over Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer’s announcement of post-Christmas rules from a holiday in Ibiza.
The teachers’ unions had earlier declared in a one-day walkout last week that.
They accuse authorities of failing to establish clear rules that would keep as many students in school as possible.
“The chaos resulting from the handling of this health crisis requires strong measures, beyond the Prime Minister and Education Minister’s commitments,” a group of four unions said in a statement.
They want the government to hire enough substitutes to replace all teachers absent as coronavirus cases spread rapidly throughout schools.
Paris has earlier announced new COVID-19 measures in a bid to stem a surge in infections across the country.
From January 3, working from home will be mandatory for at least three days per week.
Authorities will limit public gatherings to 2,000 people indoors, and to 5,000 people for outdoor events.
The new measures came as concern rises worldwide over the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The new rules will be in place for at least three weeks, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said.
Health pass measures will mainly target those vaccinated or who have tested negative for Covid-19.
Targeted segment will have access to public venues, including long-distance transport, restaurants and cafés – even France’s famed outdoor terraces.
Hence, the protests continued for the fourth weekend in a row. This came just two days before the new rules come into force.
