The government is meeting today to discuss whether they will close schools for the rest of January in an attempt to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.
Kids are due to go back to school next Monday, January 11th, but the government's Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 will meet today to discuss whether that might be extended to at least February, with the full Cabinet making a decision on the issue on Wednesday.
It comes as 6,110 new coronavirus infections were reported on Monday, comfortably the highest number of the pandemic so far. There has, as yet, been no recommendation from the top scientists in Ireland regarding the safety of sending kids back to school, and ministers are anxious to take on board advice, while also weighing up the effect that pulling kids out would have on parents. Sinn Fein has lead calls for schools to stay shut and a plan to be announced sooner rather than later.
Speaking on RTE Radio One, Minister Stephen Donnelly said: "We know from the first lockdown it had a big impact on children, particularly children from lower income areas. We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest developments.
"There are ongoing conversations obviously across government and as you were just reporting there the stakeholders are meeting today with the Minister [Norma Foley] and the public health teams. However, I think it is reasonable to assume the government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this."
"We need to make the decision on the most up to date information as we have.. So yes we want to strike a balance between giving the schools, parents and students as much time as possible and making sure we're making the decision with the most up to date advice."
The teacher's union, the TUI, favours keeping kids away for at least a week more. General Secretary Michael Gillespie told RTE that "logically the date for re-opening should be 18th January at a minimum as this will allow for the 14-day period that is required to determine whether or not implementation of the Level 5 measures has been effective in suppressing spread of the virus in the community."
"To re-open too early is recklessly to tempt fate. It would be wiser and more prudent to have a short delay, inconvenient as that may be, than to run the risk of having schools become centres for concentrated spread of the virus."
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