Greek unions have staged a second protest in less than 10 days, as teachers and school staff walked out of classrooms across the country to protest against the government's COVID-19 testing and isolation protocols, which they say are severely disrupting education.

Thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Hellenic Parliament in Athens to show their opposition to measures they said were inadequate and ineffective.

Unions are demanding the government provide teachers and staff with more protective FFP2 face masks, more ventilation in classrooms and also testing on site rather than at home. Currently, parents are asked to test their own children and then complete a form to confirm the child is negative.

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"Basically, the latest measures have not really changed. The government hasn't given any additional funds to fight the pandemic in hospitals or in schools," said Charis, a student at the protest. "This year's budget is lower. How is that possible?"

More and more hospitals are closing down and sections of the public feel antagonized by the government's focus on ensuring the rules are being followed.

"It's entirely their [the government's] fault," continued Charis. "They are the ones allowing more than 20 students in classes and haven't hired more cleaning staff. That's why we are out here today." 

The protesters are laying the blame at the door of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for not delivering on promises to provide masks and, most importantly, replacement staff when teachers catch the coronavirus.

Vana Papaevangelou, a professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, told ministers the number of cases in schools is falling after they reopened on January 10 and stressed "classrooms are safe for our children."

But parents' unions have joined the clamor to criticize the decision to keep classrooms open unless more than half the pupils have registered a positive test. 

Rather than wait until that point, many parents have decided to keep their children at home to avoid an outbreak.

"As parents, we agree with our children staying at home," said Katerina, a single parent. "We said it many times and will continue to say it. We need more parents out here to take action and change these measures. We need more actions and fewer words."

Government figures show almost 46,000 infections this past week – almost 40 percent up on the week before but ministers have argued that is down to the unvaccinated. According to the data a quarter of those who tested positive were among school and university students. 

As the number of positive cases continues to rise, the government will face mounting calls from the education sector to return to the previous protocol, where an entire school closed if there was a single positive case.

Cover image: CGTN Europe