Thread by @yaneerbaryam

Important example of the failure of current school guidelines. Wishful thinking doesn't work in a pandemic. This is not just in Ireland.

Covid-19: Primary school closes until November after outbreak of 30 cases

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irishtimes.com/news/education… via @IrishTimes

"A primary school in Co Wexford has blamed “serious flaws” with revised close contact rules for an outbreak of more than 30 cases of Covid-19, which has forced it to shut until next month.

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"It follows an emergency meeting of CBS primary school’s board of management on Sunday evening. The board said it was closing the 270-pupil school as a “vital health and safety precaution for all”.

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Under changes to rules last month, children who are close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases in primary schools are no longer required to self-isolate if they are symptom free.

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"The move meant that thousands of children, who previously isolated at home, have been able to continue attending class.

"In a message to parents issued just before 6pm on Sunday, the principal said the school’s board decided to close due to the volume of Covid cases

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"She said the school was first informed of a case in one class Oct 8. A second case two days later

"Under revised HSE guidelines children in the class were no longer classed as close contacts, no contact tracing was done “Children without symptoms were allowed to attend school”

"By Oct 11, the school was informed of two further positive cases and the board of management took the decision to close the class

“It was only on Tuesday 12th that HSE recognised that the entire class were close contacts and sent all children for testing,” the letter states

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"Siblings of that class were advised to continue to attend school by the HSE as they were recognised as “casual contacts”

“As the week progressed, we had 19 positive cases in the class, with some children testing positive on their second test.

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"However, siblings were only advised to isolate once a case was found in their household”

“A number of siblings now tested positive throughout the school, and many are asymptomatic.

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"It is now evident that many of these children were present at school during the infectious period [through no fault of parents as HSE guidance was followed].

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“We also had over 35 per cent of children absent on Friday, many parents citing illness as the reason. We have also been sending children home daily with symptoms of Covid.

“This evening we have over 30 cases of Covid in our school and expect to hear more in coming days.”

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“It is very clear there are serious flaws in HSE guidance in schools and the board decided, in best interests for health and safety of all our pupils and their families, to implement these emergency measures.”

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"While the school building will remain closed, she said the school will continue to teach online.

"Under Dept of Education rules, schools are permitted to close only on advice of public health authorities. Schools which have decided to close on their own,...

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"...without the advice of public health authorities, have faced pressure to reopen by the Department of Education.

"Health authorities have said, meanwhile, that latest data indicates that schools continue to be a low-risk environment for transmission of Covid-19.

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Under these conditions, we hope public recognition of the failure of government (not public) health authorities will accelerate and the public (people) will take responsibility for their health.