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There is “overwhelming” evidence that schools remain safe environments and will continue to function during Level 5 restrictions, said Education Minister Norma Foley.
In a statement, he said the move to increase public health restrictions will help schools continue to operate safely and sustainably during the pandemic.
Schools are scheduled to close on Friday for the week-long midterm break and are scheduled to reopen as planned on Monday, November 2.
A spokeswoman for Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said tertiary institutes will continue to operate under their current restrictions, and that most of the teaching and learning will take place online.
Ms. Foley and public health officials will meet with teacher unions and school administrators Tuesday morning to respond to concerns they have raised about testing and contact tracing.
“Our school communities have put great effort and energy into reopening our schools and keeping them safe during the first half of this period. Covid-19 transmission rates in schools are low, much lower than current rates in the community, ”Ms Foley said.
“This is the result of the effectiveness of the public health guidelines for schools and the successful implementation and adherence of everyone in the school community to the guidelines.
“Schools have been supported by a significant investment to support all infection prevention and control measures recommended by public health authorities.”
Key objective
Ms. Foley said that an important factor in deciding to move to Tier 5 was that by doing so we can help our schools continue to operate safely.
He said the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has reviewed the national experience of reopening schools to date, including epidemiological data and information gathered through case and outbreak management.
Having considered this evidence, he said that Nphet recommended that schools remain open during Level 5 restrictions, even in the current trajectory of the disease.
“Ensuring that our children can continue to attend school safely is a key objective for the Government. The Education and Skills Department has been meeting regularly with educational partners, including governing bodies, teacher unions, and representatives of school communities, to provide them with up-to-date information and to offer them the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have. ” she said.
The latest public health data as of October 19 shows that a total of 10,513 students and teachers have participated in massive testing. This has led to the detection of 246 additional cases.
This equates to a 2% positive detection rate for additional cases detected, compared to more than 7% in the community.
“In other words, where there has been massive testing of close contacts in the school setting of confirmed cases, this has only resulted in a small number of additional confirmed cases, not all of which are transmitted within the school setting,” he said. .
“This rate is still much lower than the comparable positive detection rate in the community, which is more than 7 percent. Public health has confirmed that they are expanding their network with massive testing in schools to assess the evidence for transmission levels and that this low rate supports other evidence that schools are a safe environment for staff and students. “
Teachers’ unions have called for urgent meetings with the minister and public health officials to reassess the risks faced by school personnel and students.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said that confirmed cases were at a “much higher level” than when schools first reopened.
“Of particular concern is the uncertainty surrounding the definition of close contacts and casual contacts in schools,” TUI President Martin Marjoram said:
“What appears to be a lack of coherence and clarity in this regard is causing severe stress and anxiety for school personnel. The situation must be urgently reviewed: school personnel must have confidence in the system and understand the decision-making process. “
The union is also seeking a review for “high risk” teachers in a scenario where the rest of society is effectively locked in.
Growing concern
Ireland’s National Organization of Teachers said it was increasingly concerned that current health precautions for teachers were inadequate.
He said the situation was unsustainable and said the government must ensure that all necessary protection measures are in place within the next fifteen days to ensure that schools can safely reopen after mid-term.
Meanwhile, Ms Foley said that the most recent evidence supports the hypothesis that children are not at increased risk for Covid-19 in the school setting.
“I want to express my thanks again to all those responsible in our school communities for working so hard to implement and maintain the guidelines. This work is paying off, and I urge everyone to stay tuned, ”he said.
“We are all aware of the importance of keeping schools open for children. We have learned through research and direct experience that school closings have enormously adverse consequences at the individual, family and social level. For children, it has an impact on well-being, learning and social development, it can worsen educational disadvantages and it can have an impact on children’s well-being.
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