Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021
83. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education if she will instruct her Department to immediately re-establish contact tracing in Covid-19 cases in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57333/21]
View answerThe approach to supporting schools to operate during Covid-19 has been to follow and implement public health advice. The Department of Education engages regularly with public health experts as well as the Department of Health on these issues.
Considerable measures are in place across schools to support their operation from physical distancing to enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures to mask wearing. Furthermore a communications campaign has been rolled out to remind parents of the importance of not sending their child to school if they have symptoms.
As of the 27th September 2021, a decision was taken by Government in line with recommendations from NPHET to cease routine contact tracing of asymptomatic close contacts in children greater than 3 months to under 13 years outside of the household setting, including those attending primary educational and childcare settings.
The Department of Health and the HSE, working in collaboration with my Department has recently announced a programme in which antigen tests will be made available to children in a primary school pod, where a child in the pod is a confirmed case of COVID-19. Parents can order these from a helpline operated by the HSE. The tests will be sent to the children’s parents.
Parents and Guardians of a primary school child, who is a confirmed case of COVID-19 following a PCR test, are asked to inform their school’s principal. The school principal will then inform the parents of other children in the pod of a confirmed case. No personal details of the child will be shared. These parents will be provided with the option to receive free antigen tests for their child, which they will be able to order for delivery to their home. If a child begins to experience symptoms of COVID-19 they should restrict their movements and a PCR test should be arranged.
It is important that parents inform principals quickly if a child receives a PCR ‘detected’ test for Covid-19. By doing this, the choice to participate in antigen testing can be offered to other parents quickly. It is important that everyone continues to follow all the public health advice in using this new programme
It is not mandatory for children to participate in antigen testing. Children who are in a pod where a child has tested positive for Covid-19 can continue to attend school, whether they participate in antigen testing or not.
School principals will not be required to gather evidence of participation or of any antigen test results. Information materials for parents has been shared with schools and publicised directly to parents and this programme will commence shortly.
