Parents and the health department are concerned about the reopening of several primary and secondary schools from this week following a six-month closure.
Dr. Sumi Dunne requested parents not to send children to school on painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, and if they have any symptoms of Covid-19, please keep them at home.
She said that if they have symptoms like high temperature, a new cough, they shouldn’t be sent to school but it’s ok if it’s just a runny nose.
“In that instance if the child is well, and they are not having a temperature, there is no reason why they cannot go to school, or why they cannot attend preschool or crèche,” Dr. Sumi said during NPHET’s briefing.
Taking painkillers would only be a temporary relief, and that it might harm children in the future.
The schools, which had been closed for six months due to the Covid, are set to reopen from this week.
Dunne said that he knew parents would be worried about their kids going back to school and recommended that if they had any issues, then contact their GP.
Meanwhile, the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn said, he is well aware of the concerns of parents, guardians, teachers and school staff, and their concerns are normal given the challenges raised by Covid-19, and the decision to reopen schools has not been taken lightly.
“If all of us continue to make small changes to the way we live, we can – together – starve this virus of opportunities to transmit,” Glynn said.
He said if children only have a runny nose or sneeze, they can be sent to school or childcare, but if they have symptoms of Covid such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, please keep them at home until you talk to your GP on the phone.