NPHET gives update on Covid measures for school children

Restrictions for school children to ease in the coming weeks

NPHET has confirmed changes to Covid restrictions for school children. They agreed that if Covid cases continue to decrease then children who are close contacts of a positive case won't have to restrict their movements for 14 days. It is understood that anyone who is a close contact and symptomatic will still need a Covid test. According to RTÉ, children who are close contacts may no longer need to be tested or restrict their movements for 10-14 days. The news comes after tens of thousands of children missed school after they were identified as close contacts. Children in this situation tend to miss up to 11 days of school. They stressed that this measure can only be lifted if school transmission is at a stable level. [caption id="attachment_392795" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] PA[/caption] They also agreed that primary school children do not have to wear masks. There have been calls for primary school children to wear face coverings in school, but many parents agreed that it would cause distress and confusion, especially for pupils in junior and senior infants. NPHET based its decision on advice from the Health Information & Quality Authority. They believed wearing masks would also impact the children's education as they could cause communication difficulties. New data found that Irish primary schools were closed more than any other schools in Europe. A report by the OECD revealed that Irish primary schools were closed for an average of 96 days. Secondary schools were closed for an average of 91 days, which is nearly half of the school year. There's no doubt the new measures will be quite the relief for parents who are increasingly concerned about how much time their children have missed in school.