Increased instances of illnesses reported in schools across North Rhine-Westphalia
Increase in COVID-19 Cases in NRW Schools
Mona Neubaur, the Green Party chair in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), has criticised the NRW Minister of Education, Yvonne Gebauer, for her handling of the pandemic in schools over the past two years. Neubaur accused Gebauer of failing to adequately equip, accompany, and communicate with schools during the pandemic.
Neubaur called for flexibility and clarity for schools to respond independently to the specific situation on the ground. She suggested the implementation of fixed, small learning groups with minimal changes in teaching staff as a response to the current situation.
As of January 19, a total of 42,830 COVID-19 cases had been recorded among students in NRW, representing 2.1 percent. A further 1,592 teaching staff were in quarantine, compared to 1,046 the previous week. This increase has led to a doubling of the number of students unable to participate in in-person classes due to COVID-19 compared to the previous week.
In addition, schools reported a total of 2,462 confirmed COVID-19 cases among teaching staff as of January 19. The infection situation in schools remains under control statewide, according to the NRW Ministry of Education, as no schools were closed due to the pandemic in the past week.
The NRW health minister, Karl-Josef Laumann, has been actively monitoring the situation and communicating case data. While explicit recent causes in NRW schools are not fully detailed, general drivers for surges in school cases typically include community transmission levels, variant spread, and adherence to preventive measures.
Germany's response historically encompassed school closures, hygiene guidelines, mask use, vaccination prioritization, and testing strategies. Though no recent detailed NRW school-specific measures are cited, these general measures have remained core tools. NRW participated in studies assessing organisational health literacy in schools but did not require ministerial approval for such research, indicating a collaborative approach with school management to understand health preparedness.
No new data from 2025 specifically outline a shift in pandemic strategy or major disputes concerning COVID-19 in NRW schools beyond the routine public health monitoring. The rise in COVID-19 cases among students and staff in NRW schools is consistent with broader pandemic trends. Strategies focus on vaccination, testing, and hygiene backed by scientific advisories. The NRW minister’s management has centered on monitoring and communication without clearly reported controversy in recently available data.
- The Green Party chair in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Mona Neubaur, has expressed concerns about the handling of the pandemic in schools, particularly mental-health support for students and flexibility in teacher education-and-self-development during this challenging time.
- Amidst the increase in COVID-19 cases in NRW schools, the NRW health minister, Karl-Josef Laumann, has emphasized the importance of general-news coverage, such as community transmission levels, variant spread, and adherence to preventive measures, in understanding and addressing surges in school cases.
- While the NRW Minister of Education's management has focused on monitoring and communication, other political figures, such as Mona Neubaur, have suggested that the implementation of small, fixed learning groups could improve the response to the current COVID-19 situation in NRW schools, particularly in terms of mental-health and overall health-and-wellness for students.
