Tag Archives: children

Last night.

The Tonight Show on VMT.

Journalist and mother Larissa Nolan discusses the new, rushed mask mandate for children over 9 in schools. Pupils from third class upwards must wear a mask all day or be asked to “stand down”.

Yesterday: Don’t Mask, Don’t Tell

Meanwhile…

…via Irish Times:

Can my child really be refused entry to school for not wearing a mask?

Department of Education guidelines state unmasked pupils in third class upwards will be refused entry to school if they do not have a medical certificate to show they are exempt from the rules. Schools, however, are being advised by the Government to take a “flexible” and “practical” approach to the new rules over the coming days.

Are these rules underpinned by law?

The guidelines are not statutory but, like existing rules on face masks for secondary students, schools are required to implement them. When asked if school principals will be legally protected when implementing the wearing of face masks, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said where they apply public health policy they will be “protected definitely”.

On what grounds can a child be exempt from wearing a mask?

There three main grounds under which children may be exempt from wearing a mask:

(1) Any pupil with difficulty breathing or other relevant medical conditions

(2) Any pupil who is unable to remove the cloth face-covering or visor without assistance

(3) Any pupil who has special needs and who may feel upset or very uncomfortable wearing the cloth face covering or visor, for example pupils with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, sensory concerns or tactile sensitivity Do children require a medical certificate to prove they are exempt? Most children will not require a medical certificate on the basis schools are best placed to identify children whose needs are such that the wearing of face covering may not be possible for them. In other circumstances, a medical certificate – from a GP, typically – must be provided to the school.

Q and A (Carl O’Brien, Irish Times)

Minister for Education Norma Foley

This morning.

Via RTÉ News

Children in third class and up will be required to wear face masks at school from this morning, and can be refused entry if they do not.

However, the Department of Education has said schools can be flexible in application of the rule in the first couple of days.

Ms Foley said she recognised it may be “difficult” for some, but added: “Schools know their children and are best placed to identify those children whose complex needs are such that the wearing of face coverings may not be possible for them and to discuss this with parents as required.”

Foley: Schools will adopt ‘practical approach’ to mask wearing (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Meanwhile…

Um.

This morning.

The cabinet is to meet later to discuss new NPHET guidelines….

The recommendation under discussion aims to cut down on children mixing but the advice appears to be more subtle than the initial recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team last week.

Those familiar with the memo going to Cabinet said it could mean a play-date might be an option or a trip to the panto, but not both.

Mask wearing from third class upwards will be among the measures discussed this morning…

Meanwhile…

There will also be proposals around international travel with an antigen test set to be required by all people arriving here.

This would need to be completed a maximum of 72 hours before arriving in the country and there are indications that the antigen test system will be professionally administered.

The Cabinet will also examine legislation that would allow for the re-introduction of mandatory hotel quarantine.

Masks for schoolchildren nine and over set to be recommended (irish Times)

Ombudsman urges Govt to quickly assess impact of Covid rules on children

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Nphet has recommended to the Government that children aged nine or over should wear face masks in school.

From our reading of recent reports by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Health Information and Quality Authority, it appears that both the ECDC and Hiqa consider mask wearing in this age group (the under 12s) in the school setting to be of limited benefit.

As both parents and healthcare professionals, we question Nphet’s recommendation, which we consider is not evidence based and lacks guidelines or metrics that will determine its discontinuation.

We fear that the introduction of mandatory face masks could have a profound negative impact on the emotional, social and academic development of these young children.

Dr Nikki O’Keefe and Dr Ciaran Healy,

Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Irish Times Letters

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Prime Time on RTÉ One.

TCD immunologist Cliona O’Farrelly supporting the National Public Health Emergency Team’s recommendation that primary school children from third class upwards must wear masks.

NPHET recommends that children aged nine and over wear masks on public transport, as well as in retail and other public settings where the rule currently applies for those aged 13 and over.

Meanwhile…

I was utterly dismayed to read that the National Public Health Emergency Team will discuss masks for primary-school children next week.

Government guidelines on how to wear a mask includes, inter alia, the following: always wash your hands before putting on your face covering; avoid touching it while you are wearing it; if you accidently touch the front, wash your hands straight away.

These guidelines are there for good reason. Touching a germ-riddled mask with your hands is not a good idea.

Most adults are not capable of complying with these guidelines. I really don’t understand how Nphet might expect our young children to follow these guidelines over the course of a six- or seven-hour school day.

In addition to applying the science, in this particular instance I would urge Nphet (and the Government) to apply some cop on.

Reamonn O’Luan

Churchtown,

Irish Times Letters

Meanwhile…

Professor Mary Horgan, President of the Royal College of Physicians says it may be time to mask primary school children

This morning.

The National Public Health Emergency Team meets today and is expected to consider proposals around increased mask wearing at outdoor events and possibly in primary schools.

Via RTÉ News:

President of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland Professor Mary Horgan said avoiding lockdown would be the right way to go but that the situation has to be watched very closely.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Prof Horgan said it may be time to consider the use of masks in primary school.

Prof Horgan, a member of NPHET, said the incidence of infection in primary school has been high over the last few months and this is probably because the group is unvaccinated and do not use masks.

It is likey that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will recommend vaccinating this age group and that vaccine, combined with mask wearing, would reduce infection.

However, she acknowledged it is difficult for younger children to wear masks.

Um.

NPHET expected to consider increased mask wearing proposals (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Adi, 7, receives her first vaccination last night in Tel Aviv, Israel after the country approved vaccinations for children aged 5-11

This morning.

Via RTÉ:

Israel has begun rolling out Covid-19 vaccines for children aged five to 11, becoming one of a handful of countries to inoculate children so young as it seeks to ward off another pandemic wave.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the country is experiencing a “children’s wave” with about half of the recently confirmed cases among children below the age of 11.

While the campaign for younger minors was set to officially start today, doses were already being administered by last night.

Israel vaccinates children as young as five against Covid (RTÉ)

Reuters

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

Cork city.

Via The Irish Examiner:

The State stands ready to administer Covid vaccines to primary school children if European regulators approve it, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin said, however, it was unlikely children in the five to 11 age group will get the jab here before Christmas, given the timeline and logistics involved.

Mr Martin said the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has since October been evaluating the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on children aged between five and 11, is expected to issue its recommendation soon – possibly within the next two weeks.

“My view there is that we will then have to go to Niac here but I would support the rollout to children in due course once it’s authorised by the relevant authorities who have the clinical expertise to make that recommendation,” he said.

Taoiseach: Ireland will vaccinate primary school children if EMA approves it (Irish Examiner)

Meanwhile…

RollingNews

Meanwhile..

Pfizer and BioNTech said their Covid-19 vaccine remained 100% effective in children 12 to 15 years old, four months after the second dose.

The companies said that the new data, which involved 2,228 trial participants, will help support their applications for full approval in the United States and worldwide.

No serious safety concerns were observed in individuals with at least six months of follow-up after the second dose.

Vaccine 100% effective in teenagers after 4 months – Pfizer (RTÉ)

Education minister Norma Foley (top) has asked parents to consider cancelling their children’s birthday parties

This morning/afternoon.

Via RTÉ News:

People should reconsider hosting and attending birthday parties or play dates for children, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said.

She also asked people to “hunker down” in light of the rise in Covid-19 cases.

Ms Foley was speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne programme after the Government announced a series of new measures in a bid to curb a rise in Covid-19 cases.

“We are in a different setting now,” she said.

“There is a window of opportunity to reassert ourselves and do the right thing.”

Hmm.

Reconsider birthday parties, play dates – Foley (RTÉ)

Alamy/RollingNews

“I hope y’all go to jail.”

Via The Free Press:

A Florida second grader who has been suspended 38 times for refusing to wear a mask to school confronted her local school board — and asserted that they should be in jail.

Fiona Lashells, who just turned 8 years old, told the Tampa Bay school board in no uncertain terms how she felt about their rules.

She is “on a mission to take back, not only her rights but every American child’s constitutional rights from the tyrant school board,” her mother, Bailey Lashells, told The Free Press.

Previously: The Mask Of Sorrow