Using antigen testing in schools has not been recommended by Nphet, Education Minister Norma Foley said. As the phased reopening of schools begins today, there have been questions on whether antigen testing should be used for both staff and pupils. Antigen testing is much faster than the PCR tests used by the HSE for contact tracing, however, it is less reliable. Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland today, Minister Foley said that, although this rapid testing has not been recommended for use in schools by public health experts, if this advice changes the government will meet it. Read MoreDespite the new variant, which accounts for roughly 90pc of all Covid-19 cases, the Education Minister said that mask-wearing for primary school children has also not been recommended by Nphet.

Source: Irish Independent March 01, 2021 13:24 UTC