Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of COVID-19 in the community or in a school is the responsibility of, and will be led and managed by, Public Health HSE. The Department of Education has always been guided by public health advice in relation to the infection prevention and control measures appropriate for schools. Current public health advice does not provide for saliva testing in primary schools. Rapid access to the PCR testing process for the education sector has been the approach used to support schools to deal with cases.

The Department of Education is working with the HSE Testing Pathways Working Group which is examining the use of antigen testing in education settings. A number of pilot projects are under way in childcare and third level settings in recent weeks. The approach to antigen setting in education settings, including in schools will be informed by these pilots.

The Department of Education will continue to work with the group as it is considered important that any data collected from a pilot of antigen testing within the wider education sector is available to inform decisions on the appropriateness of more widespread deployment of such tests within the schools sector and the potential to scale to the sector.

The Department has an ongoing close working relationship with the Department of Health and the HSE throughout the period of the pandemic in the context of implementing important infection prevention control measures in schools to ensure that they can operate safely.