An infectious disease expert has suggested that primary school children should wear surgical face masks when they return to the classrooms.
Junior Infants, Senior Infants, First Class, Second Class and Leaving Cert students will return to education on March 1.
All teachers and secondary school students had to wear face coverings last year but primary school students were exempt from wearing them.
However, infectious disease specialist Dr Cliona Ni Cheallaigh is suggesting that primary school children should wear surgical face masks when they return to the classrooms this year.
The St James’ Hospital doctor told RTE’s Morning Ireland that it's important for schools to reopen but it is impossible to say that they are 100% safe.
Dr Ni Cheallaigh explained: “Is it entirely safe? I don’t think we can say that. I think we know that transmission can occur in schools.
“B117, the variant that is now the most common variant in Ireland, is more transmissible and is also more transmissible in the school setting.
“Getting the children and the teachers to wear masks in class. And probably, again with this the variant, wearing surgical rather than cloth masks.
When asked if she thinks primary school children should be wearing masks, she said: “Yes, absolutely. Definitely. And surgical masks if it all possible.
“That will have procurement issues in terms of the Department of Education providing those but I think that would be a sensible investment.
“They can be reused. They don’t need to be changed every time they are taken off to eat. They can be put back on.
“Surgical or stronger masks than the cloth masks that people have been using up until now in a classroom would be helpful.”
Dr Ni Cheallaigh also said that additional measures can be taken in schools to ensure they are protected from COVID.
They include proper ventilation and installing carbon monoxide alarms in classrooms to monitor the air quality.
The Government is due to announce its updated "Living with COVID-19" plan later this evening – with the vast majority of restrictions to remain in place.
Schools and childcare will start to reopen from early March, with the rest of Level Five likely to remain in force until April 5th at the earliest.
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