COVID testing of close contacts of children in primary schools could soon be reintroduced, according to the Tánaiste.
Contact tracing of school children was suspended in late September because thousands of pupils who had been designated close contacts were absent from school even though they did not have any symptoms.
The changes also meant that children under 12 who were designated close contacts no longer needed to restrict their movements.
The Irish National Teacher’s Organisation (INTO) has warned that the changes force school principals to make their own public health decisions - and called for contact tracing to resume.
Speaking this afternoon Leo Varadkar said that option is being considered; however, it may just involve a return to testing close contacts.
He said the new system could see pupils offered antigen tests if they are a close contact but are not experiencing symptoms.
“So, one of the matters that NPHET is now reviewing at the moment is whether we should now resume testing of primary school children,” he said.
“At the moment, if you are an adult and you are a close contact of somebody who gets COVID, if you have symptoms, you get a PCR test and if you don’t have symptoms, you are now going to get an antigen test.
“At the moment that doesn’t apply to primary school children, but it might make sense to do that and that is something NPHET is reviewing at the moment.”
Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said there is now a question-mark over schools.
“The question we need to ask ourselves is, how do we keep schools open over winter,” she said.
She suggests more could be done around ventilation.
Both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have said they're not contemplating school closures, and there would have to be a serious change in the current situation to do so.
Reporting from Sean Defoe
