Clare’s Fianna Fáil Senator insists that keeping schools open is one of the Government’s primary objectives.
School unions, management bodies and representatives from the Department of Education are due to meet today to discuss teacher’s requests of quicker response times and interventions if multiple cases arise in schools.
Coalition leaders are also meeting later to assess the current Covid situation, with a shortening of the isolation period for close contacts expected to be among the measures considered.
Mountshannon Senator Timmy Dooley believes it’s important for schools to remain open to maintain children and young people’s education and social development but he says the matter will remain under constant review.
It comes as the country battles record infection rates and rising hospital admissions due to Omicron.
16,986 new Covid cases were confirmed yesterday, while 804 people are in hospital with the virus, including 93 in ICU.
The number receiving treatment for the virus has risen in the Midwest, with 44 covid patients at University Hospital Limerick this morning, up 4 in 24 hours, though the number in ICU has decreased by 1 to 8.
Infectious Disease Consultant and UCD Professor, Jack Lambert, expects cases to continue to rise
