Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This morning on radio, the Minister for Education suggested to parents that they should not organise play dates or birthday parties. This is in important information to get to parents. The reaction in my emails and phone calls so far is about the question of schools more broadly. There is a concern about where this will go. Parents are seriously concerned. They are already juggling so much. Will the Taoiseach take this opportunity to set out the information he has to provide certainty or clarity? Stopping birthday parties and play dates is a natural thing to do now. How parents are interpreting this is that Covid is going in a direction that may threaten schools.

Can the Taoiseach set out the rationale behind the distinction between those things for parents as it would be helpful?

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