Covid-19: Two Kerry schools send pupils home as Clare primary school does 'right thing' by closing

Meelick National School in Clare closed yesterday while rooms in the Kerry secondary school have been disinfected

Parents of pupils attending the school received a text message from the school which informed them of the temporary closure. Picture: File photo

Update: Two schools in Kerry have sent some of their students home after pupils tested positive for coronavirus.

A second-level school sent students from one class home after a pupil tested positive for Covid-19, while two classes from a primary school were also sent home after a positive test.

The schools are in the same region of the county.

In the case of the second-level school, the student had limited contact with a small number of students in a single class in the school and for a limited number of hours before becoming aware of the positive result and at once informed the school. 

The child had not resumed school with the other classes.

The school has undergone a disinfection regime and rooms that had been used had been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before other classes used them.

Rooms which had been used had been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before full classes resumed and all students returned. 

A source at the school said it is satisfied that the contact was contained to a small number of students and these have been sent home.

The secondary school is, however, awaiting HSE advice as to whether it will have to close to all classes and has been liaising closely with the health body.

Further details about the primary school are not known, but both schools are being guided by HSE advice, it is understood.

Closure of Clare primary school: 'I have full confidence they have done the right thing'

A primary school in Co. Clare which yesterday closed due to Covid-19, as a precautionary measure, has been named locally as Meelick National School.

Parents of pupils attending the school, which is located 6km from the Limerick border, received a text message from the school which informed them of the temporary closure.

It was stated the reason for the closure was a number of staff members had been identified as close contacts of a confirmed case of coronavirus.

The school has over 100 pupils on its roll books.

Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe, who was both a pupil and a teacher at Meelick NS, confirmed he spoke to a local parent who received the text message.

The message, seen by this reporter, reads: “Dear Parent, we have been advised by the HSE that a number of staff members have been identified as close contacts of a case of Covid-19. 

"On that basis they have to be excluded from school. It is not possible for the school to remain open without any permanent member of staff so unfortunately the school will have to close immediately.” 

The message advises the reader, “we hope to re-open on Wednesday 9 September, unless you are advised otherwise”.

“Currently this has no implications for students and no pupil has been identified as a close contact to date. We regret the closure of the school but we are obliged to follow the HSE guidelines,” the message continued.

Deputy Crowe said: “I am a former pupil and a former teacher at the school and it is very ably run by the principal and staff, and I have full confidence they have done the right thing in accordance with public health guidelines.

 “This is unfortunate for the teachers and the pupils, but I would say this will become a common feature in schools across the country as we live with Covid-19, and I would expect there would be a rolling series of class closures and school closure around the country,” he added.

The school, which remained closed today, could not be reached for comment.