RIGA, Aug 4 (LETA) - Pupils will definitely start the new school year in person, however, if the epidemiological situation continues to deteriorates, it must be taken into account that students may have to wear face masks during face-to-face studies at school, said MP Arvils Aseradens (New Unity), Chairman of the Saeima's Education, Culture and Science Committee, to TV3 this morning.

He acknowledged that the Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Health would be the ones to make the decision for the need to wear face masks in schools under certain conditions. "I assume that we will not have to make such a decision at the moment, but when we reach one particular epidemiological situation we have to reckon with the fact that we may have to wear face masks in schools," the politician said.

Commenting on the Ministry of Education and Science's intention to resume full-time study in the autumn semester, regardless of the cumulative rate of Covid-19 in a particular municipality, Aseradens acknowledged that children must to go to school, but the only reason for suspending full-time studies could be an active epidemic at a specific school. In that case, if the teachers have been vaccinated, a one-week suspension of studies might be enough, but if the teachers have not been vaccinated the problem will be much bigger," Aseradens said.

He reminded that the government has a clear intention to give local governments broad powers to decide with school administration on how to deal with each situation. "Of course, the Ministry of Health will provide algorithms for how to do this, but local governments will have broad powers," the MP summed up.