The situation is 'catastrophic', French teachers say, during nationwide strike over COVID measures
France's education unions staged a nationwide strike on Thursday, with teachers describing a "catastrophic" situation in schools as tens of thousands of students are out sick with COVID-19.
"We have already changed protocol three times since the start of the school year, so we give different parents information every week, every day," said Léna Peregrin, a 25-year old teaching assistant who has been responsible for managing the COVID-19 protocol in her school in Lyon.
"We have 52 COVID cases today, we had 30 at the start of the week. It is increasing every day and nothing is changing," she added.
"We are asking (the government) for the means to make us safe such as masks. The mask that I'm wearing today is the mask that I have been buying for a year because the ministry does not supply us with surgical masks or FFP2 masks."
One of the largest French education unions, the SNUIPP-FSU, said around 75% of school personnel went on strike, resulting in the closures of around half of schools. The union called it a "historic mobilisation", adding that it was not a strike against the virus but rather a reflection of growing anger in schools.
France's education ministry put the number of strikers at a total of 27% of school personnel nationally, with around 40% of personnel in primary schools on strike.
"The strike is historic. There have never been so many strikers in schools for a very long time," said Benjamin Grandener, a school director and co-secretary of the Rhône chapter of the largest teachers' union.
"It's an absolute mess in the schools and even if on paper they're open, in truth, we're unable to really teach the students and classes that are present."
Strikers in Lyon on Thursday took up the space of three streets, with many
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