HEPA filters must be provided to every classroom in the State, as this would be a practical and “relatively inexpensive” measure that would “provide considerable protection” against transmission of Covid-19.
This is the view of People Before Profit Galway representative, Adrian Curran, who has condemned the Government for failing to put safety measures in place across schools, resulting in schools having to buy their own filters or leave windows and doors open, resulting in students and teachers working in very cold conditions.
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Given the rise in numbers with the Omicron variant, and its high rate of transmission, especially among the unvaccinated, Mr Curran said there is a real possibility that schools may have to close.
"If this Government was serious about keeping schools open, it would put these measures in place,” he said. “Instead, it is letting the situation get wildly out of control - all but ensuring the schools will eventually have to close.”
'Strain on families'
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Mr Curran [pictured above] was also critical of the absence of contact tracing in schools; serial screening and testing for students and staff; full vaccination made available (on an opt-in basis ) for five to 12 year olds before returning to school; boosters offered immediately to 12 to 18 year olds; and remote learning made available to give medically vulnerable children and families a choice.
"Children need to be in school,” he said. “Education is vital to a child’s development, and the long periods of time our schools have been shut has put a huge strain on families and has taken a toll on young people who are missing out on this most important cornerstone of their development. So why does our Government not do all it can to ensure schools can remain open?”
