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Schools are not a zero-risk option, the interim medical director told parents and teachers, but their reopening has been carefully weighed against “the very real damage” that sustained closures can cause.
With most elementary and post-primary schools returning this week after a nearly six-month break, Dr. Ronan Glynn wrote an open letter to parents, guardians, teachers, and school staff, assuring them that While coronavirus cases will be detected in the coming weeks in educational settings, evidence indicates that for the vast majority, the symptoms will be mild.
Dr Glynn wrote that the concern about the return to education is “natural”, but noted that the decision to reopen “was not taken lightly” and was based on several factors, including guidance from the World Organization for Education. Health and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and evidence from other countries.
“International evidence shows us that child-to-child and child-to-adult transmission of Covid-19 in schools is rare,” Dr. Glynn said.
The open letter comes as the latest figures released on Sunday showed no new deaths as a result of Covid-19 and 42 new confirmed cases of the virus.
It brings to 28,760 the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland since the virus was first detected. On Saturday, the Health Protection Surveillance Center said it had been notified of 142 confirmed cases. Of the 42 cases announced Sunday, 24 were in Dublin, six in Limerick and the remaining 12 in Carlow, Clare, Galway, Kildare, Longford, Offaly and Sligo counties.
Meanwhile, a new survey found that more than half of people who work from home estimate that they sit an average of two hours and 40 more minutes per day.
The survey found that more than half of all workers in Ireland have been able to work from home since the coronavirus restrictions began, with 53% of them sitting for longer than when they were in the office or at their usual workplace. .
And one in four of those who sit longer remain sedentary for at least three hours longer than before, the research found.
The Irish Heart Foundation, which commissioned the survey, warned of the dangers of sitting for long periods of time and asked that workers move one minute every hour during the workday.
Tara Curran, physical activity coordinator for the Irish Heart Foundation, said sitting at work all day can increase a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke.
“As working from home and video meetings become the norm, workers are increasingly tethered to their laptops for hours,” he said.
