A Co Mayo Primary School will close until after Christmas due to a Covid-19 outbreak amongst students.
It's the second education facility in as many days to confirm the move after Holy Family Senior School in Portlaoise was forced to shut on Thursday.
Claremorris Boys National School informed parents on Thursday night and said they believed the move to be "necessary" in "exceptional" circumstances.
The school said in a statement: "We are very aware of the terrible inconvenience this places on parents and pupils and ask for your understanding in what has been an extremely stressful, anxious and unfortunate situation for all of our pupils and their families, for staff and their families and the wider school community and in our attempt to support and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of our pupils, their families, the teaching staff and their families and the wider school community.
"We hope you realise and understand that we tried our absolute best to keep Covid out of our school and to promote, enforce and encourage the Covid 19 plan in the school.
"We are deeply frustrated at the system adopted by Public Health on cross infection levels and the Department regarding Covid-19 and its effects to insist that schools remain open at all costs.
"We believe these exceptional closures are necessary.
"The effects of this closure will be somewhat relieved by online platforms. Seesaw is set up to maintain remote learning opportunity for pupils and will continue."
It comes after the Holy Family Senior School in Portlaoise informed parents earlier this week that the school would shut from Thursday and not return until after the Christmas break.
Classes will continue online but no students will be back in school until January.
The Senior school is where all third to sixth class students attend - Holy Family Junior School, which caters for junior infants to second class, will remain open.
A spokesperson said: "Holy Family Senior School is closed as of today (Thursday). It will reopen after Christmas. The HSE has 'worked with the school, recognising the need to close onsite from today'.
"Education will continue online."
It is not known how many students or teachers in the school have been infected with the coronavirus.
