Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Rather than feigning outrage at opportune times, I have tried to be consistent in my engagement with the Taoiseach on the reopening of schools. On five occasions since September, I have used this session to ask for stronger mitigation measures in our schools. I ask again where the air filtration devices and the CO2 monitors in every classroom are, as per the recommendation of the joint committee in January 2020. Where are the antigen tests that were recommended in July 2021 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC? Why has contact tracing not been reintroduced since it was removed disastrously on 27 September this year? Rather than answering those questions, today, the Minister for Education went on national radio and moralised about birthday parties and play dates. We need effective mitigation measures and we need information clearly communicated. That needs to happen immediately to keep our schools open and to keep them safe.

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