Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under level 5 restrictions, we are allowed to reopen educational facilities. That will happen on a phased basis, starting with special schools quite soon, along with childcare and construction. Much work is being done to enable the safe reopening of those sectors. We are loath to speak too much about opening other sectors because we do not want to give rise to anticipatory behaviour. We know when people anticipate the easing of restrictions, they tend to drop their guard, and we do not want that to happen on this occasion. There is no guarantee we will be able to ease restrictions on 5 March but we hope to do so.

We are expecting updated guidance on ventilation, which is really important, and it is increasingly acknowledged that good ventilation is one of the tools we can use to prevent the spread of this virus. That is being done.

Antigen testing is more complicated and the view from the Chief Medical Officer and the National Public Health Emergency Team is that antigen testing, including mass antigen testing, misses too many positive cases. In one test, it missed five from six positive cases. They have indicated it is only particularly useful in symptomatic cases and outbreaks but not as a mass screening tool for travel, schools, events or anything like that.

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