One in six people testing positive for Covid-19 over the last month have been children of primary school age. I have raised this issue with the Taoiseach several times during this session. We need infinitely stronger mitigation measures in our schools. Over the weekend the Taoiseach started to talk about antigen testing, as did the Minister for Health. The Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, started talking about it in October. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, stated that antigen testing may be needed in our schools in the summer. That report was released in July. We need antigen testing and we need air filtration devices in our schools. We need them now. We do not need them coming up to Christmas or after Christmas. While we are dithering, Covid-19 is surging through our school population. We need these measures. Can we enforce stronger mitigation measures now? We need antigen testing and air filtration devices so when the CO2 monitors beep we can clean the air as opposed to opening the windows and having our children freeze. We need to clean the air.

The process involved in reopening our schools in the context of Covid has been informed from the very beginning by public health advice, and overall that has worked in respect of schools. I visited a paediatric ward in Clonmel, Tipperary last week. What I am hearing from public health and hospitals is that the bigger challenge they are facing in hospitals is RSV and other non-Covid respiratory illnesses among children. That is the biggest issue they are facing. Their very strong advice is that where there are symptoms, or if one has symptomatic children, they should not be sent to school. In respect of Covid-19 and antigen testing, the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, has said that in light of recent ECDC advice, they are looking at certain circumstances-----

They are looking at it.

-----that would apply in terms of where would be optimal to apply antigen testing. He was strongly of the view-----

Time is up. I call Deputy Barry.