By Pat Flynn
Parents of children attending a school in the west of the country have been told the school will close for two weeks as a precautionary measure after it was confirmed that one of its pupils had tested positive for Covid-19 (Coronavirus).
Another school in the region has advised parents to keep their children at home today pending advice from the HSE.
The measures follow the announcement by the HSE yesterday evening of four more cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Ireland, bringing the total to six in the Republic.
In a text to parents last night, school management at the first school said: “A child in our school has tested positive for Covid-19 and as a precaution, school is closed from tomorrow (Thursday) for 14 days. Re-opening 18th March. Public health doctors will contact you individually from tomorrow on."
The four new cases - two male and two female patients - were reported to be from the western part of the country and had travelled together from the same affected area in northern Italy. The Department of Health’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan confirmed the four cases concerned were a "cluster" - Ireland's first - in that all four patients were "linked", but did not confirm reports they are a family of two adults and two children.
Within an hour of the Department of Health's confirmation the new cases, parents of children at a one of the schools received a text from school management confirming the school would remain closed until March 18.
One parent of a child attending the school said: "We (parents) all got a text tonight confirming that a child in the school had been confirmed as testing positive for the virus. We really don't know what to do now. There's been a lot of talk on the parents' WhatsApp group and we haven't a clue what will happen next."
My child is off school for the next two weeks which means I'll have to stay at home and take time off my job. That's going to be very very tough. I can't really ask someone else to mind him in case he has picked it up. I don't know what do.
Overnight, parents of pupils attending the second school in the region, were advised that the school would remain closed today.
The text said: “(School) will remained closed Thurs 5th March pending advice from HSE re. Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in locality. Will advise further tomorrow.”
