Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 January 2021
436. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education when teachers will receive the Covid-19 vaccine; the safeguards being put in place to ensure that teachers and pupils are safe when returning to the classroom setting given the elevated levels of Covid-19 in society; and the childcare arrangements for children of teachers who will return to school to teach children with additional needs. [3580/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool communities have worked incredibly hard to operate safely under Covid-19. The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. NPHET remain of the view that schools are low risk environments but recognise there is a need to reduce societal activity and movement to curb the spread of the virus at this time.
Public Health has advised that schools are safe places for both students and adults because of the mitigation measures now in place in our schools. All schools are required to have in place a school COVID-19 Response Plan which contains the key mitigation measures for infection prevention control in schools. Public Health have reiterated that neither the variance of the disease nor the rate of transmission in the community change in anyway the mitigation measures required in schools. Schools have been supported by a funding package of €400m to put in place and maintain these key measures since August 2020. Public Health advice is that compliance with these measures ensure that school remain safe places for children and staff.
My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has provided detail on a number of childcare supports available for essential workers details of which are available at https://assets.gov.ie/118433/d8066e42-360a-4178-b8ff-ddc8cc750070.pdf. My Department has also published a leaflet and FAQs for parents in relation to childcare supports during this period of school closure.
My colleague the Minister for Health has advised of the vaccine protocol that has been agreed, which came from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and signed up by Government. It should be noted that teachers are in the top 35% of the population with regard to vaccination. The vaccine allocation groups are available at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/39038-provisional-vaccine-allocation-groups/
