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Schools will not close before Christmas because they remain safe places for children despite several recent high-profile Covid-19 outbreaks, Education Minister Norma Foley said.
As the Irish Times reports, 62 cases of Covid-19 were found in schools across the state last week, following massive testing at several of them, with 3.5 percent of samples taken testing positive, compared to 10 at 12 percent in the larger community.
Saying that three-quarters of schools have not had any problems since reopening in September, the minister said that school staff and students have done “tremendous work.”
Dismissing calls for an early closure and one more week after Christmas, the minister said there are no public health reasons for schools to remain closed longer than planned.
“From the beginning, we have been very clear that we would follow the public health advice as it is established, and we have followed it completely and completely,” he said.
In response to the closure of a school in Killorglin, Co. Kerry and a school’s attempt in May to close early, Ms. Foley said that public health authorities rather than schools should decide when schools should close.
A third school, Scoil Íosagáin in Buncrana, Co Donegal, also told parents that their plans to close Friday after an outbreak had been rejected.
School shoots
“We have a hard time believing that our board of directors cannot make a decision to protect the health and well-being of our school community in the days leading up to Christmas,” the school wrote in a message to parents.
There were 19 Covid-19 outbreaks, involving 62 cases, in schools last week, an increase of five from the previous week and the highest number on record since before the midterm break, when 44 were recorded.
About 1,700 students and teachers were tested last week. The positivity rate among close contacts rose from 2.5% to 3.5%, which is slightly higher than when schools closed for the October midterm break.
The data is contained in the weekly report by the Center for Health Protection Surveillance on Coronavirus Clusters in Ireland covering the week ending December 12.
The transmission of Covid-19 within schools has not necessarily been established, according to the Center for Health Protection Surveillance in its latest report covering until December 12.
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