Teachers union backs review of mask-wearing for primary school children

In Ireland a child aged 12 in a post-primary school must wear a mask while a child of the same age in a primary or special school does not.

The General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said the union would welcome a review of mask-wearing for primary school children. 

His comments follow a suggestion by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) look at the latest evidence on the minimum age for wearing face coverings.

Speaking to Newstalk this morning, John Boyle said the union was “certainly behind a further review."

“The last time the review was done was in August of 2020 and at that time the people of Ireland were not even being encouraged to wear masks."

“There was a change at that particular time and whatever the public health advice review will say we are happy to go along with it.” 

Mr Boyle also pointed to inconsistencies under the current guidelines. In Ireland a child aged 12 in a post-primary school must wear a mask while a child of the same age in a primary or special school does not.

Teachers were looking forward to the new school year, he said, but he warned that there remained a sense of trepidation, particularly for colleagues in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy whom he said had been let down badly by the Government which had forced them back to work without the protection of the vaccine.

“It is an absolute disgrace that women in their first 14 weeks of pregnancy couldn’t have been left working remotely for a few more weeks until they got the same protection and equality of the rest of the staff," he said.

Some 1,600 unvaccinated teachers and special needs assistants that are in the early weeks of pregnancy are being asked to return to school he said.