Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make a point of clarification relating to decisions being made and so forth. The public health decisions will still be made by public health officials. That is where the expertise lies. I wish to be clear and upfront about that. Public health will be supported by staff from the Department of Education but all public health decisions relating to what happens in a school and how a situation in a school is managed will be made by public health officials.

As part of our new procedures medical-grade masks are being made available to all teachers and SNAs in special schools and classes and to SNAs in school settings, as well as anybody who is not in a position to maintain the 2 m distancing.