Coronavirus: Schools reopening full-time a 'top priority'

All pupils will return to school full-time in Northern Ireland from the beginning of term

Reopening schools full-time is probably the "top priority" for the executive, the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief scientific adviser (CSA), according to Peter Weir.

The education minister made the comments at Stormont's Education Committee on Tuesday.

Schools would not be closed again unless "we're at the worst case scenario", he said.

It has been confirmed school bus services will also resume next week.

Schools closed to all but a few pupils in March due to coronavirus.

On Wednesday, the CSA Prof Ian Young said it was not possible to say opening schools will be "completely safe".

"We know that children are less likely to catch the virus than adults, particularly younger children," Prof Young told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"We know that they are somewhat less likely to transmit the virus and we know that they very rarely have severe disease.

"Nonetheless, children can spread the virus and certainly we can't say that opening schools will be completely safe and will not be associated with some increase in the infection.

"I know that the guidance from the Department of Health, the Department of Education is aimed at making schools as Covid-secure as possible and making the experience of our schools opening as safe as it can be."

Revised guidance was issued last week for the reopening of schools with "relaxed" social distancing rules and face coverings to be made optional in classrooms.

Peter Weir said both the CMO and CSA are "content" with school reopening arrangements

At the Education Committee on Tuesday, chair Chris Lyttle asked if relaxing social distancing rules to allow pupils to return full-time in September had been supported by CMO Dr Michael McBride and Prof Young.

Mr Weir told the committee they had both supported the change.

'Range of mitigation measures'

"They were very much of the view and concurred with the position that the case was that there were lower levels of transmission in terms of children, that they represented less risk, that there was a range of mitigation measures that were put in place," the minister said.

"Not only are they content with all these arrangements, but also that in terms of where the executive needs to prioritise things, a full-time return to schools is something that they would share the belief that this needs to be prioritised and put probably as the top priority in terms of that level of protection.

The education minister was very down the line about his approach to schools reopening in Northern Ireland.

Peter Weir told MLAs at the education committee it was not only his "top priority", but also that of the executive, the chief medical officer and the chief scientific officer.

It's quite a striking line.

The timetable for reopening schools is straightforward, but obviously there are lots of other issues to deal with to make that possible.

The first of those is the possibility of a second wave of cases.

Mr Weir was clear that schools would remain open unless "we are at the worst case scenario."

So that certainly sounds like that in the event of a second wave the executive will lock down other things before they go as far as closing schools again, like they did in March.

The other issue is that of face coverings for pupils and staff.

The Department of Education's guidance on that was issued last week, and Mr Weir hasn't moved away from that.

He says they are not recommending it in the classroom as it's not practicable. But it is essentially up to each individual school to make the final decision on that.

"It is clear that the approach that would be taken and agreed by the executive and by the medical advisors would be that effectively almost the top priority has to be the maintenance of schools, something that should not really be given up unless that we're at the worst case scenario."

Strict distancing between children "may be relaxed in the presence of other mitigations" such as hygiene measures

However, the SDLP's Daniel McCrossan put it to Mr Weir that "there's a higher level of infection in our society and our community today than there was when schools closed originally".

Mr Weir responded saying: "Within Northern Ireland we've taken an executive decision to prioritise schools.

"Is there anything which is going to be risk-free? I think the short answer is no."

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The minister said international research showed that the levels of risks within schools where they had reopened was "minimal".

Mr Weir also said the executive would not be recommending face coverings in the classroom.

"We don't believe that it's particularly practical for children to be sitting six hours plus with a face covering on," he added.

But he said schools could decide to go beyond the guidance, which some have already decided to do.

Pupils are being encourage to wear face coverings on school transport

However, pupils are being encouraged to wear face coverings on school transport.

The Education Authority (EA) updated its guidance for home to school transport on Tuesday.

Limited services will operate from 24-28 August, with priority given to pupils in years 7, 12 and 14.

Normal services, including Translink's dedicated school bus services, will resume from 1 September.

The EA also urged students to wear face coverings on school transport, use hand sanitiser, maintain social distancing when possible and not to travel if they are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms.

Funding for extra school transport

The deputy chair, Sinn Féin's Karen Mullan, expressed concern that school children would end up congregating and mixing at bus stops and stations.

In response, the minister said that some of the £47m previously provided by the executive to help schools and further education (FE) Colleges to reopen would be used to pay for extra school transport.

Year 7, year 12 and year 14 pupils are due to return to school on Monday 24 August, while all other children are expected to return in the first week of September.