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Schools may remain closed until the end of the month under the plans the government is considering to stop the rapid spread of Covid-19.
Elementary and secondary schools were due to reopen next Monday, but the Cabinet is scheduled to consider keeping them closed for another two to three weeks.
The move comes as 6,110 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded along with six deaths. Meanwhile, 776 patients remained in the hospital last night after testing positive for Covid-19 while 70 people were in intensive care units.
A cabinet committee on Covid-19 will meet to discuss the escalating public health crisis and a key focus of the meeting will be schools.
Party leaders and ministers will consider asking schools to remain closed to stop the spread of the virus among students, teachers and their parents.
Plans are also being discussed to keep some schools open for the children of frontline workers and those with disabilities or from disadvantaged areas.
A government source said schools would be closed not because they are unsafe but to stop the movement of around a million people.
A decision on schools in Ireland is not expected until Wednesday, when the cabinet meets to discuss Nphet’s recommendations.
However, a Fine Gael minister told Independent.ie: “Schools will not fully reopen next week.” A Fianna Fáil minister said they would be “very surprised” if the government did not keep schools closed for longer after delaying their reopening until January 11.
A government spokesman said: “The schools will be discussed in the cabinet committee and then in the cabinet.”
“The Taoiseach had discussions today with the opposition leaders to update them on the situation,” he added.
Education Minister Norma Foley will report to the Cabinet subcommittee on the school situation tomorrow morning.
Today he met with educational partners and also heard the concerns expressed by members of the Opposition.
Ms Foley said tonight that she was “very aware of the challenges facing reopening schools due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 in society and shares the concerns raised in this regard.”
The minister highlighted the “enormous efforts made by the school communities in the last period and the successful and safe operation of the schools to date and assured that funds are available to ensure that all schools can cover their PPE costs during these challenging times. times.
Meanwhile, Green Party deputy director Catherine Martin is understood to be wary of reopening schools.
Ms. Martin, a former school teacher, believes that even if Nphet recommends opening schools, it will have to be done very differently to ensure that teachers, students and their parents are safe.
However, the Minister of State of the Department of Education, Josepha Madigan, insisted today that there is no advice against the reopening of schools next week.
If schools reopen, the elementary teachers union INTO wants them to have the flexibility to close and switch to remote learning if Covid makes it difficult for them to stay open.
That was part of a backup plan presented today by INTO to Education Minister Norma Foley.
The union is concerned that some principals are facing high levels of absence from Covid-related staff and cannot find a replacement to allow them to safely open the school.
Amid growing concern over the rapid increase in cases, Ms. Foley attends a series of meetings with educational partners, such as teacher unions and school management bodies, and current opposition politicians.
Until now, schools had no authority to close to deal with the fallout from a Covid outbreak unless public health officials made such a recommendation.
In the first period, some schools made the unilateral decision to close, but the Department of Education forced them to make a 180 degree turn.
But if the government decides that the school must reopen in the current rapidly deteriorating circumstances, INTO says principals must have more autonomy.
“We point to a potential issue where large numbers of school personnel may be absent when schools reopen, and we want flexibility to move to remote learning when needed.
“We hope that staffing becomes a problem because we hope that more people will have to isolate themselves. We already know that there is tremendous pressure on many schools in relation to access to subs and we know it will be more difficult for some schools, ”said an INTO spokesperson.
While accepting that the opening or closing of schools is generally up to public health councils, the INTO says updated information should inform the decision.
Among the issues on which INTO is seeking a better understanding is the transmissibility of the new UK variant, which some scientists believe spreads more easily among children, and whether existing social distancing rules still work.
The union is also requesting that education staff move up the vaccination priority lists and wants Public Health to conduct a review of the use of face masks by elementary students and staff.
Under existing rules, students are not required to wear face covers and staff have some discretion about when to wear them.
Groups that advocate for students with special needs want Education Minister Norma Foley and Special Education Minister Josepha Madigan to make sure there are provisions for children with special needs in the event schools do not return on time
Autism charity AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland have previously expressed concern that the system “failed” children with the greatest needs during last year’s educational lockdown.
They have written to the two ministers on the matter tonight and want authorities to explore a number of options to allow for the continuation of learning for vulnerable students in the event of a second shutdown.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said Foley will report to Cabinet on Wednesday.
“Nphet will provide advice on that as well. But before all that, tomorrow we have a meeting of the Covid cabinet subcommittee, so we will see it there before entering the cabinet, “he said.
“That balance equation is between the public health benefit, which is real, of having our children in school or not, versus whatever is happening in the broader pandemic,” Ryan said. “But our schools have shown that they can operate safely in difficult circumstances. So, we will wait for that advice.
When asked if Ireland had to automatically follow Britain if the UK decides to extend school holidays, Ryan said Ireland was following independent advice from Nphet and the Department of Education.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said public health officials had not made a recommendation to keep schools closed, but that discussion on the issue is ongoing.
He told RTÉ’s News at One: “We have to give the experts the time they need to examine the latest evidence.”
“We have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday before there is a decision on this.
“There are conversations going on, obviously across the government and with the public health team.
“However, I think it is reasonable to assume that the government will make a decision on Wednesday morning.”
Donnelly recognized that parents, teachers, and students need to clarify the issue as soon as possible.
He said: “Now I understand, I myself am a father, I have three small children. I am in the same position as many people listening now.
“I understand that people need clarity. Parents want clarity, students want clarity, teachers and principals obviously want clarity, and they want as much notice as possible. It is fair and appropriate that they seek those things, ”he added.
Medical Director Tony Holohan will make a presentation to the Cabinet Subcommittee on Covid-19 tomorrow on the escalating situation that has seen new cases skyrocket since Christmas.
The meeting will be attended by the leaders of the three government parties together with several senior ministers and their officials.
After the meeting, the ministers will discuss the best course of action to deal with the third wave of Covid-19.
Once a decision is made, a memorandum will be drawn up and presented to Cabinet on Wednesday.
Irish independent
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