On Monday, children in primary classes from third class to sixth class and fifth year secondary school students will return to in-person learning along with educators who are deemed high risk by Medmark Occupational Healthcare. Reports in the Irish Independent earlier this week showed that one in eight Covid cases were in children and teenagers under 18. Are we confident that we have done enough in terms of mitigation factors to keep those in school buildings safe? I am specifically talking about: ventilation, both natural and mechanical; mask-wearing; and whole-class testing. If cases go up, what are the additional mitigation mechanisms that will be employed to ensure that schools do not close again? We have to move beyond the binary options of school buildings being either open or closed.

This is probably more a question for the Minister for Health than a question on promised legislation. We are confident that we have done enough to ensure that schools are safe. So far, the return to school has been successful but, of course, more could be done in future. The Deputy will know from the plan that was published by Government two weeks ago that ventilation is a matter to which we are going to give more consideration because ventilation is increasingly understood to be of enormous significance when it comes to the spread of this virus. Professor Ferguson's report on antigen testing will be out in the next week or two as well and that may point to greater use of that form of testing in a number of different settings.