Children in third class and above have to wear masks in school from today onwards.
New Department of Education guidelines state a medical cert's required for an exemption, and those without evidence will be refused entry.
The Government's also calling for less indoor socialising among under-12s for the next two weeks, after a sharp increase in Covid cases.
There were over 18,200 among under-18s in the fortnight to Sunday - compared to just over 13,700 in the previous two weeks.
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Suzanne Connolly, the chief executive of Barnardos, says she is concerned about the new requirement for masks.
