Factfind: What advice did NPHET give to Government around the closure of schools?
Debate about the safety of schools in relation to Covid-19 is ongoing. By Stephen McDermott Thursday 21 Jan 2021, 12:05 AM Jan 21st 2021, 12:05 AM 49,324 Views 0 Comments
THE ONGOING DEBATE about the aborted re-opening of schools for pupils with special needs has seen sharp exchanges between teachers’ unions and ministers this week.
Plans for special education classes to return today were scrapped on Tuesday after Fórsa and the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) publicly opposed such a move.
Education Minister Norma Foley accused the unions of being unable to “accept the expert public health advice”, after they raised doubts about whether a return to schools would be safe for special needs teachers and assistants.
The number of deaths this month due to Covid-19 is a "stark reminder of the impact of this current wave", Health Service Executive CEO Paul Red has said.
Meanwhile, the latest letter from the Chief Medical Officer said that ‘optimistic’ projections show between 800 and 1,600 cases per day at the end of January.
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Three of the deaths reported occurred last month.
The median age of those who died is 82, with the age range between 41-99.
The Department has also been notified of 2,001 new cases of the virus.
93 people have died of Covid-19 in the Republic - the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. 2,001 new cases have also been reported.
892 of today s cases were identified in men while 1,098 are in women.
Most people -55% - are under 45 years of age.
The median age is 42 years old.
Most of today s cases were identified in Dublin, where there is 701 new cases.