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Updated 2 hours ago
SCHOOLS IN Northern Ireland will reopen after the Christmas holidays, Northern Ireland Education Minister Peter Weir has confirmed following speculation that they will be closed in January.
Speaking to the Assembly today, Weir said the schools would reopen as planned but with additional safety measures in place.
He said closing schools again would have a negative impact on children.
“During this pandemic, despite the best efforts of all of us, including parents, teachers and other personnel within education, children have certainly suffered.
“Although they are generally less clinically vulnerable to Covid than adults, through the necessary restrictions we have had to impose, [children] she had to endure the interruption of her education, the loss of learning, the social inclusion, the detrimental impact on her mental health and the prevention of the opportunity to lead a normal life. “
Weir said schools should only be closed “as a last resort.” He claimed that closing schools in January would have a number of negative effects, particularly on vulnerable children and those who take exams.
The minister said that taking children out of school would also affect the number of health workers available, as more people would need to care for their children and educate them at home.
He added that another option “would be to put these children in the care of their grandparents, whom surely we all want to protect.”
However, Reid said he wanted to make it “very clear” that the reopening of the schools will not be “on the basis of a normal return”, and said “that would be impossible.”
Reid said his department will work with the health department and “a wide range of other stakeholders, such as directors, union representatives and the Education Authority” to develop a series of safety measures that can be introduced next month.
“This should quickly lead to a package of measures that could be implemented in early January.”
Reid said that “although it is not exhaustive,” the government is considering a number of issues, such as an extension of the use of face covers in post-primary schools, compliance with face covers and how safety measures can be increased in transportation. school and at drop-off points outside of schools.
Reid said that Covid-19 testing and tracking can also be implemented in more schools. He said the “message” around the guidelines should also be improved.
“This is not exhaustive, and I will accept any practical suggestions that can further combat the possible spread of the virus and protect the education of our children,” Reid said.
Some members of the Assembly have questioned this approach, saying that a gradual reopening of schools would be preferable. They also requested more information on the new measures that will be implemented.
Health Minister Robin Swann previously told the Assembly: “I do not think that going back to school as usual in January is a sustainable position.”
Swann said he is in conversation with Reid and the medical director about the matter.
He said that “all options must be considered” when trying to stop the spread of Covid-19 and ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed.
“I understand that the public will be somewhat disappointed with the introduction of more restrictions during the Christmas holiday period,” Swann said.
Six week lock
The Northern Ireland Executive decided last week to impose a six-week lockdown from December 26.
The first week of the measures will see the toughest lockdown yet in Northern Ireland, with a form of curfew in place starting at 8pm, shops closed after that time, and all indoor and outdoor gatherings. prohibited until 6 am
Swann said today that “the majority of the public supports these measures,” but some people will ignore them and attend parties in the coming days, particularly on New Year’s Eve, something he advised against.
He added that he is in regular contact with the Republic’s Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, and the two medical chiefs, Dr. Tony Holohan and Dr. Michael McBride, will speak again today.
In an emergency meeting last night, the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to cut the bubbly Christmas arrangements from five days to just one day, following the rest of the UK.
Ministers also debated a temporary travel ban from Britain to Northern Ireland due to the new variant of Covid, and further discussions are expected today.
Health officials in Northern Ireland confirmed yesterday that another 505 people had tested positive for Covid-19 and 13 more people had died from the virus.
In total, there have been 61,942 cases of Covid-19 in the north and 1,196 deaths.
New variant
Earlier today, Prime Minister Arlene Foster said four cases of Covid-19 have been detected in the North with a “different sequence than other cases.”
Foster said it is “likely” that the new variant of the coronavirus detected in London and other parts of Britain is now present in Northern Ireland, but said it cannot be “definitively” confirmed at this time.
In these four cases, samples have been sent to England to confirm whether they are of the new strain.
Swann told the Assembly that it appears that the new variant is “more transmissible, but it is still too early to confirm this with certainty.”
“However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause severe disease, there is currently no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease or that it does not respond to vaccines that are currently being developed.”
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has said that there is a lack of evidence on how bad the new variant of the coronavirus is or how prevalent it is outside the UK.
However, the ECDC added that the new strain has an estimated potential to increase the breeding number (R) by 0.4 or more, and is estimated to be 70% more transmissible than previous strains.
Suspended trip
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that London, the south-east and the east of England would be subjected to a new level of restrictions for the Christmas period.
England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said the new strain of coronavirus could spread more quickly and called on the public to act to reduce transmission. The new strain has been detected in Great Britain.
In response, countries like Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Italy have suspended flights from the UK.
In the case of Ireland, passenger flights and ferries were suspended for 48 hours from the start of today. The decision will be reviewed by the Cabinet tomorrow morning. Swann said today that it would have been nice if Republic officials had given him more information on this.
At 2:00 p.m. yesterday, no cases of the new variant were detected in Ireland.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster program, Foster said ministers were very concerned about the highly infectious mutation and that testing was ongoing.
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She said: “It is probably here and probably also in the Republic.”
The Northern Ireland Executive has cut the relaxation of restrictions during the five-day holiday, allowing three households to meet, until Christmas Day.
Flexibility will be provided for people working on December 25 so they can join others on another day during the holiday break.
The decision was made by ministers during an emergency virtual executive meeting last night.
Ministers also debated the imposition of a temporary travel ban from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in response to the new variant of Covid-19 that has been established in London and Kent.
Sinn Fein supported the measure, yet practical questions were raised about how quickly such a ban could be introduced, given how long it would likely take for the Health Department to draft regulations to put it into effect.
The DUP’s position was that internal UK travel is already banned in Tier 4 areas in England, so there’s no need to add Stormont legislation to enforce that.
Foster said today that his party believes the responsibility to stop flights and ferries within the UK is a problem for the UK government and has also raised concerns that Stormont could be left open to compensation responsibilities if it were to legislate on the topic.
She said: “At the moment we have a travel ban to Level 4 areas. We tell people in other areas of Britain to really travel only if it is essential and to remember that the Christmas bubble is only for one day.”
With reports from Sean Murray and the Press Association
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