Government rejects teachers' plea to restart contact tracing in schools

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar dismissed the idea of extending the mid-term break and said children will be returning to school on Monday. Picture: Danny Lawson

Schoolchildren will be sent rapid antigen tests if they are deemed a close contact of a Covid-19 case, it has emerged.

The Government has rejected calls from teacher unions to restore the contact-tracing system for schoolchildren amid a spike in cases among those aged between 5 and 12.