New measures needed to keep schools open safely - Mayo TD

CO2 monitors alone are not enough to ensure schools remain open safely and functioning well, according to a Mayo TD.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said it is crunch time and the Minister for Education should seriously examine the role high efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filters can play in the classroom.

She explained: "The government needs to resource schools to put them in place. This would cost less than €30 million.

"The Department of Education needs to provide rapid access and must publish costings.

"We have known for a long time that ventilation is a crucial issue and the minister needs to do everything she can to keep classrooms as safe as possible.

"According to a principal in Mayo, 15% of one school's students are at home with Covid-19.

"If education remaining open is as important as we say it is, surely we should be throwing the kitchen sink at it?"

In regard to the introduction of antigen tests in primary schools, Deputy Conway-Walsh said principals are already at the end of their tether and now it seems responsibility for contact tracing will fall to them and to parents.

"I urge the Minister Nora Foley to ask the HSE to ensure public health teams have a significant role in contact tracing in our schools.

"We need school-specific contact tracing. Many school staff are concerned by the details of the antigen testing plan.

"They are rightly asking what protections, in the context of antigen testing, are in place for them.

"Given school staff are not part of classroom pods, is there is any possibility of staff receiving antigen tests?

"There are further concerns about delays between children being identified as pod close contacts and receiving antigen tests in the post.

"The advice is children should continue to go to school unless they have a positive antigen test.

"This means children who may have Covid-19 may continue to attend school for days while waiting for antigen tests in the post."

Minster Foley said if there are more than two outbreaks in a classroom within a seven-day period, apart from the original pod, antigen testing will be made available to the entire class.

In that instance, accommodation will be made for staff members related to the pod or the class.

"There is no question of principals or anyone else in the school sector being asked to do contact tracing. Public health teams remain available to schools where the need arises," she added.