Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

It's in the independent this morning.

So, NPHET has asked HIQA to review mask wearing for Primary School kids and it will decide in September. Surely, this could have been decided earlier in the Summer with the guidance being issued BEFORE the schools re-opened ??

I wouldn’t be a fan of masks on primary kids. Some adults are hard enough to understand wearing them sometimes, but children especially those who may have speech issues might struggle more to make themselves understood. Restrictions are either coming to an end or they are not.

For me it depends on the age of the kids. Our 11 year old wore a mask last school year - no problem. She is 12 now and 6th Class and will again wear a mask. For me, there is little difference between her and a child in 1st Year.

For younger kids (under 10 maybe) and certainly the first few years of Primary, I don't think it would realistically work.

Are schools going to get funding to provide masks for every child or are parents expected to provide them?

What happens if a child turns up with no mask? Do we turn them away?

What do we do if a parent states that they do not want their child masked? Do we turn them away or mask them anyways?

The wearing of masks is not an issue for most children - children adapt better to these things than adults do.

I would agree. My 12 year old could manage a mask no issue. In fact has been this last year. But I dont think it would work for younger children.

That article on masks for primary school kids is pure click bait from the Indoh'

What effect will the newly announced removal of restrictions mean for post primary schools? Will we still have the mandatory masks and the 1 meter distance in classrooms?

What exactly is the reason for recommending the wearing of masks by primary pupils at this late stage of the pandemic? Most adults are fully vaccinated. Therefore, the possibility of a primary pupil being infected by the Delta variant is very low.

Will in-person PT meetings return this year do we think?

We are planning on having them anyway. Principal mentioned that there was a circular issued and it recommended to have them. This is primary now. We had to do reports on each child and there was so much more work involved than face to face meetings so I welcome the return of the meeting.

I havent heard anything about masks being compulsory in education after the 22nd. Retail, hospitals and that's about it. Nothing about education

I havent heard a thing. And have been looking to see, as I would love not to have to wear them any more. To me as a fully vaccinated person it's totally pointless now. The kids are not going to be vaccinated and I have no problem with this so I'd rather just go back to normal teaching.

I do wonder what line the unions would take on it . Anecdotally I get the feeling most teachers would be happy to go back to “normal” . But the minority can make a lot of noise