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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 October 2020

Wednesday, 14 October 2020

Ceisteanna (156)

Mary Lou McDonald

Ceist:

156. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education the way in which she is ensuring that educators are following the HSE guidelines and protocols for children with respiratory problems in schools; and the description of face covering. [30377/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable reopening of schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. This guidance is focused on the practical steps schools must take to minimise the risk of transmission of infection.

My Department has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Health and Safety Authority that reflects our shared objective of ensuring that the Return to Work Safety Protocol for addressing COVID-19 in the workplace is being implemented.

My Department’s Inspectorate will lead on visits to schools for the purposes of working with and advising schools in implementing the Return to Work Safety Protocol for addressing COVID-19 in the workplace and public health advice. The objective of the Inspectors visits in this context are to provide ongoing and continuous support to schools to sustain reopening in a Covid-19 context.

My Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the 6th August 2020. It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post primary school.

However Public health advice also provides that cloth face coverings should not be worn by any of the following groups:

- any person with difficulty breathing

- any person who is unable to remove the face-covering without assistance

- any person who has special needs and who may feel upset or very uncomfortable wearing the face covering, for example persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, sensory concerns or tactile sensitivity.

A medical certificate must be provided to the school where an exemptions is sought on the above grounds. There is no capacity for schools to deviate from either the requirement to wear face coverings or the exemptions that apply.

Advice for schools on the use of face coverings is available in the COVID-19 Response Plans for schools published on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

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