“The fact that children can, from Monday onwards, stop wearing masks outside is a positive step but is not enough... it seems this was the bare minimum children should have been granted a while ago,” petition 1867 reads.

Submitted by a group of concerned parents, the petition says that the negative impact on children’s wellbeing of wearing a mask over the entire school year outstrips the benefits “in controlling the disease transmission”.

The concerns echo those of Luxembourg’s ombudsman for children, Charel Schmit, who, in an opinion on the covid measures issued on 11 June, called for the wearing of masks at primary school and in after-school facilities to be relaxed or scrapped as soon as possible. Furthermore, he called for a re-assessment of the wearing of masks. “The ombudsman fears that this obligation will become the rule and is particularly concerned by its impact on the wellbeing and development of young children.”

The petition comes after bars and restaurants were allowed to cater for customers indoors for the first time since November 2020, upon presentation of a negative rapid antigen test. Since 13 June, a covid check certificate is sufficient to grant entry to restaurants and other indoor services. The ombudsman points out that schools should not be stricter than the hospitality sector and concluded: “Seeing the increase in temperature in non-air-conditioned classrooms, the wellbeing of children throughout the day is not guaranteed.”

In the UK, students are no longer required to wear masks in classrooms. However, with infections on the rise, four education unions last week called for their reinstatement. They say face coverings should be reinstated to tackle low attendance resulting from infections.  

The Luxembourg petition to scrap the wearing of masks by students in schools closes in 14 days. At the time of writing it had received over 2,300 signatures. Petitions must receive 4,500 or more signatures in order to be debated in parliament. Anyone may sign a petition provided they are 15 or older and have a Luxembourg social security card.