Irish Examiner view: Crisis again too good to waste

The reopening of schools can in many ways be seen as a trial run for reopening broader society and specifically consumer-facing businesses.

Ministers met on Thursday to agree a plan for the staggered reopening of schools; different classes are expected to return to their classrooms at two- or three-week intervals. 

The pandemic death toll has crossed the 4,000 threshold when 57 more deaths were reported on Wednesday evening and as the vaccination programme delivers longed-for protection almost as soon as it arrives in this jurisdiction, the focus begins to shift, to look ahead at what might be and when it might be.

The resumption of education and making decisions around exams — nearly any decision at this stage — and all that implies is one of the pressing issues.