The distribution of rapid antigen tests for students is going extremely well and in most schools self-testing will start on Monday, Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Thursday.

He also said that on Saturday the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) would announce that self-isolation would be abolished for all students.

“The distribution of tests for students’ self-testing is going extremely well. All counties have received most of the tests, and at this moment they are being distributed to schools,” the minister told reporters before a government session.

He added that all instructions had been sent to headmasters, together with instructions for parents on how to use the tests, and on Friday a video will be released on the HZJZ website showing how to take a sample.

“Everything is going according to plan, and in most schools testing will start on Monday,” the minister said.

He reiterated that the testing was voluntary and that parents did not have to test their child if they did not want to. In that case, they will have to sign a form stating they do not agree to their child self-testing. However, if such a child comes into contact with someone positive to coronavirus, he or she must stay in self-isolation, unlike other children, who can go to school as long as they are negative.

As he explained, the measure was introduced now because the number of children in self-isolation has drastically risen, so that all children who do not have to be at home get back to school. There are currently about 30,000 children in self-isolation, while about 7,000 students are positive.

The measure is expected to last a month, including the week of holidays, and the minister assumes that by the end of the school year self-testing may not be needed anymore.