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Anyone in a school who has had face-to-face contact within a meter of a confirmed Covid-19 case for more than 15 minutes will be classified as ‘close contact’.
Anyone who has been between one and two meters from a confirmed Covid-19 case for more than 15 minutes on a school day will also be considered close contact, but other ‘mitigation measures’ will also be considered.
That’s according to a new national definition of cases and contacts in child care settings and schools published by the Center for Health Protection Surveillance ().
These ‘mitigation measures’ include face covering, student ‘groups’, ventilation, infection prevention control measures, or uncertain compliance with established mitigation measures. This will be assessed through a clinical public health risk assessment ().
The lack of clarity around what constituted “close contact” within the education sector caused much anxiety, confusion and concern among school communities. It has been a very prominent issue for education unions and representative groups over the last month.
HPSC has now posted the new agreed definition on its site.
Under the guidelines, a is held for all educational settings that someone has attended while contagious. This assessment determines who is a close contact, which is based on the contact you had with someone who has Covid-19 during their infectious period. This is 48 hours before the onset of symptoms if they are symptomatic, or 24 hours before the Covid-19 test in those who are asymptomatic.
National Organization of Teachers of Ireland () general secretary welcomed the development. “We look forward to looking at this in more detail, along with a thorough assessment of the latest public health data at our meeting with the National Public Health Emergency Team () officials this week. “
The multidisciplinary teams led by public health will also be supplemented by school inspectors reassigned to the as well as other personnel reassigned from within the health services. Appointments for the Covid-19 exam are also issued as a priority for close contacts at school through a specific school referral process, the Department of Education also confirmed to the .
The swabs for the school group are sent to the laboratory at the point of testing as a ‘red flag’ batch to be processed as a priority. These swabs have a specific school reference number to allow batch reporting to ensure fast turnaround times for testing.
While the issues remain pending, the improvements are welcome, according to Boyle. The department must ensure that this new service ensures that “no director waits for days for a risk assessment or public health guidance,” he added. The union hopes that a public health review of the school sector it was seeking will be provided shortly.
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