Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Thursday that kindergarten-age children would not have to self-isolate as of Monday and that school children would have to get tested only if their classmates become infected with coronavirus.

“A recommendation has been made following talks with epidemiologists and the Croatian Public Health Institute that kindergarten-age children should no longer self-isolate if a child in their group gets infected,” Fuchs said after a government session, explaining that relaxing the protocols is now possible owing to a drop in the number of new infections and hospitalisations.

That is a big relief, not only for kindergartens but also for parents, the minister said, adding that self-isolating kindergarten-age children would have to stay in isolation on Friday, while as of next week they would be able to return to their kindergarten.

In case a child’s family member is positive for COVID-19, it is only logical for the child to stay at home, he said.

As for the self-testing of school children on Mondays, the minister said that it had proven effective, with 2,000 asymptomatic cases of infection having been detected, while the current situation allowed for its cancellation.

The minister added that if a student got infected, their classmates would have to self-test and they would be able to attend face-to-face classes as long as they were negative.

Fuchs said this was to the benefit of children and would help bring the education process in primary and secondary schools to completion until the end of the year as planned, without major disruptions.