Direct provision system 'magnified' issues faced by children during Covid-19 lockdown

Workers remove bedding and furniture from Clondalkin Towers direct provision centre, in Dublin, back in August. Concerns about the safety of residents had increased due to several cluster outbreaks of Covid-19 in direct provision centres. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

A new report highlighting the experiences of children in direct provision during the coronavirus pandemic has said conditions in the DP system are likely to increase the risks posed by the Covid-19 virus and heighten the stress and anxiety of those living there.

The Office of the Ombudsman for Children (OCO) report, Life in Lockdown, got the views of six children living in the DP system and found the boredom, loneliness and frustration felt by children everywhere during the pandemic and associated lockdown was magnified for those in DP centres.