Call for schools to stay closed after the mid-term

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A trade union says schools in Tipperary and elsewhere should not reopen after the mid-term break.

Fórsa, which represents 15,000 non-teaching staff in the education sector, has told the Department of Education and the HSE that they believe schools should stay shut until improvements are made in health and safety.

It comes as some schools have had to close today after the ViraPro hand sanitiser they were using was recalled over health concerns.

Speaking to Tipp Today, Fórsa’s Andy Pike said the Department and the HSE need to up their game.

“The point is that we all would want schools to be open permanently but to do that you’ve got to put in place test and trace arrangements that can engender the confidence of the people who work in schools.”

“So what we’ve said to the Department is if you cannot get basic certain things right then maybe you need to take a little bit longer than the mid-term break to put in place revised arrangements.”