The Irish National Teachers Organisation has called on the government to update three key Covid measures to help with the recent trebling of case numbers among those aged 5-12.
General Secretary of the Union, John Boyle, said it is 'incumbent' for the government to implement additional safety measures if they are to effectively drive down transmission rates ahead of Christmas.
They carried out a survey in recent days - reaching 877 schools across the country - in which it was revealed that among the 231,912 pupils in the responding schools, 3,726 pupils were reported as testing positive for Covid-19 between November 1, and November 16.
In a statement released this morning, Mr. Boyle said it is entirely appropriate for the “union representing workers who teach the largest cohort of unvaccinated and un-masked individuals” to ask for these updates amid a feeling of “abandonment.”
He said: “It simply cannot be a coincidence that the number of 5–12-year-old children contracting the virus has trebled since crucial public health supports were removed from the primary sector less than two months ago, abandoning teachers and principals to protect themselves and their unmasked, unvaccinated pupils from the impact of the highest wave of infection in their schools since the pandemic began.”
Mr. Boyle also confirmed that there have been at least 12 known school outbreaks in the Dublin area over recent weeks alone, while their survey showed the highest positive case numbers in Waterford schools and the lowest in Kerry.
In line with the rising cases right across the country, INTO is now calling for an update to three Covid safety measures in order to nip this surge in the bud, which are:
- Fast-tracking vaccines for under 12’s
- Mask wearing in primary schools
- More air quality monitors for primary and special schools
John Boyle’s statement continued: “The INTO calls for an immediate review of the Covid-19 response plans for primary and special schools to address the upsurge in infection levels manifest since the delta variant took hold in school communities.
“The fast-tracking of the booster vaccine programme and the provision of vaccines for children aged under 12 will be essential to support the primary education system in the coming months.
“Government must also ensure that HIQA publishes another review of the minimum age for the wearing of face masks, as promised in HIQA’s last report which was submitted to NPHET on the 24th of August and released on the 20th of September.
“It is entirely appropriate that the union representing workers who teach the largest cohort of unvaccinated and un-masked individuals in over-crowded and often poorly ventilated settings be consulted by HIQA on the issue.
“The provision of more air quality monitors and air filtration systems to primary and special schools would greatly assist our schools.”
