Covid-19 Ireland: Government Considering Giving Children An Extra Week Out Of School This Halloween

Government ministers are considering giving children an extra week out of school this Halloween in a bid to beat Covid numbers.

The Halloween midterm break expires in a couple of weeks and an idea has been raised in government buildings to add another week to help curb the spread of the virus in schools.

But ministers and the Department of Education went out of their way to emphasize that a decision has yet to be made.

And a Taoiseach spokeswoman told the Irish Mirror: “No decision has yet been made on the schools.”

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe was asked about the issue at a budget briefing.

He said, “I have not been involved in any discussion about it, but I have seen the story about it today and before I make a decision about it, I would like to understand what the consequences would be in our schools and what is the public health justification for do what.

“But that proposal has not yet been presented to me.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said her priority is keeping people safe in schools.

She said: “No decision has been made to extend the schools mid-term vacation.

“To date, the evidence shows that schools have safely reopened with the backing of significant investment to support all infection prevention and control measures recommended by public health authorities.

“Keeping schools open safely for children and staff is a key priority at all levels of Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with Covid-19.

“At levels 1 to 4 inclusive, schools can remain open with protective measures, and at level 5, recommendations will be based on the situation and evidence at the time.”

As of October 6, some tests have been completed in 252 schools as a result of a public health risk assessment.

Some 5,890 students and teachers have participated in massive tests.

Of the 252 schools that had massive testing, 112 additional cases have been detected in addition to the original cases.

This equates to a 1.9% rate, the department said.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary Michael Gillespie said the first thing they noticed about the proposed closures was through media reports.

“Clearly, all stakeholders in education must be fully consulted in any such move to allow for any disruptions to regular school activities to be planned for,” Michael said.

“Before next week’s budget, we ask for continued flexibility in terms of the funds available to the education system, as all the resources necessary to ensure the health and safety of educators and students must be available in the coming months.”