Ms Marie Daly:

I do not know who came up with the word "pod" but it is causing huge confusion. The ratio in the 1-2 room is 1:5. If previously one had eight to ten children in the room the situation will return to normal and it will be the very same as prior to Covid-19. That is a pod. The difference is that the children in the 1-2 room will not socialise with the children in the 2-3 room. Each room will have staff looking after the children and there will be relief staff. We will not put a third staff member in as we could not afford to do that but another staff member will provide relief and lunch breaks. The staff member may not go around the whole building but may operate between two rooms. As Ms Frances Byrne stated earlier, the reference to the pod system caused total confusion. There was mention of all kinds of restrictions and that we would have to put dividers into rooms, among other measures. That has all been cleared up and we have been told it does not apply any more.

This is a live situation and changing by the day. A pod is as it was prior to Covid-19.