Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
932. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the approach of her Department to testing for Covid-19 for workers in crèches and early learning facilities on the reopening of the sector will be clarified. [11630/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn preparing for the reopening of Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services, my Department has liaised closely with the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) to ensure appropriate health guidance is available to services and their staff. This culminated in the publication, by the HPSC, of "Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Settings Providing Childcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic" on 29th May. This guidance is available on the HPSC website and the Guidance for Reopening webpage available on the First 5 website.
While liaising with the HPSC, my Department sought advice on testing for staff in childcare services. The public health advice is that staff/children do not need to be tested for COVID-19 unless they are displaying symptoms such as fever (high temperature), cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. There is no requirement for staff to be prioritised for testing. Staff and parents should be advised to not attend the service if they or their child is displaying symptoms. They should remain at home and contact their doctor immediately. This has been detailed in the FAQs published on the First 5 website.
The latest data from the Department of Health (as of 14 June) shows that it takes on average 1.2 days for the testing process to be completed and 2.4 days for contract tracing to be carried out.
