Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for putting down the question and giving us an opportunity to clarify it on the floor of the House. Communication is key on this. It is key for the principals, the parents and most importantly for the continuity of children attending schools. I am going to read out the script as it was prepared for me because the clarification points are very important. Before I begin, however, it is important to say all officials in both Departments are working tirelessly together to ensure anything that needs to be done is being done to ensure education can continue.

I am happy to have this opportunity to outline the protocols and supports in place for schools and briefly describe the overarching public health principles, including case investigation and risk assessment, that govern the response to cases and outbreaks of Covid-19, which are consistently applied across all school settings. In all schools with a suspected case of Covid-19, HSE public health will undertake a risk assessment to assess the unique risks in each situation and decide on appropriate, proportionate action to protect the health of students, staff and the wider community. It is important to note that these actions will vary in different schools. This is because every school is unique, with unique risks related to the spread of Covid, so different measures are required to manage outbreaks in different schools. This is entirely appropriate and is a core tenet of public health management of outbreaks of notifiable infectious diseases, including Covid-19. The public health risk assessment, PHRA, approach is described in the Schools Pathway for Covid-19: the Public Health approach, available on the Back to School web page.

Risk assessment is carried out under the jurisdiction of the public health doctor at the relevant regional HSE department of public health. Public health doctors are expert in risk assessment. As outlined, because every school setting is unique, the risk of Covid transmission will vary on a case-by-case basis. The risk assessment process for each outbreak in a school setting assesses a variety of context-specific factors to determine appropriate and proportionate measures to be taken to protect the children and staff in the school and to prevent onward transmission and protect public health. For example, if a confirmed case of Covid-19 with links to a school is identified, HSE public health will undertake case investigation to determine whether the person has been in the school during the infectious period. If he or she has been in school during the infectious period, HSE public health will undertake contact tracing and risk assessment. This may result in a whole pod or class being excluded and tested for Covid-19 if they are deemed to be close contacts. When public health departments are formally informed of a person with Covid-19 who attended an educational facility whilst infectious, they then undertake a PHRA. This usually happens the same day, or the following day. There has been a delay in one particular region which the HSE is working to address urgently.

The public health medical service is available seven days a week, and contact with schools is made on this basis. The risk assessment is dynamic and is evolving as more information becomes available. For example, if contact tracing identifies additional confirmed cases that are widespread throughout the school and HSE public health suspect transmission in the school setting, this may contribute to a decision to close a facility partially or fully as an outbreak control measure. However, if, following case investigation or risk assessment, it is determined there is no risk of transmission in the school setting, HSE public health may advise that further testing in the school is not required.

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