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Stormont ministers have stuck with their phased plan for returning children to school despite DUP concerns that it is too slow.<\/p>\nStormont ministers have stuck with their phased plan for returning children to school despite DUP concerns that it is too slow.<\/p>\n
While the main stages of the plan remain in place, officials are to engage on one controversial aspect that requires some primary school children to revert back to home learning just two weeks after they return to the classroom.<\/p>\n
The phased plan was discussed at today’s meeting of the Executive but no formal proposal to change measures agreed last week was tabled by DUP education minister Peter Weir.<\/p>\n
It also emerged after the meeting that publication of the Executive\u2019s wider lockdown exit strategy, which was due on Monday, may now not be made public until later next week as ministers are still working to finalize the details.<\/p>\n
Mr Weir and DUP First Minister Arlene Foster have voiced concern that school children in Northern Ireland are returning to school more slowly than those in the rest of the UK and in the Republic.<\/p>\n
They had also questioned why the North’s chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride was advocating the more gradual approach in the region if he was working on the same scientific advice given to other CMOs in the UK.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster stressed she was seeking to secure consensus on the issue and made clear and she and her party had \u201cfull confidence\u201d in Dr McBride, whom she said had worked \u201ctirelessly\u201d through the pandemic to provide the Executive with impartial advice.<\/p>\n
The First Minister said the whole Executive was in agreement that a return to classes was the main priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think where there are slight disagreements in the Executive, and slight emphasis differences, is around the speed of which we try and get those young people back to school and that\u2019s what we\u2019re discussing at the moment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think it\u2019s important that we continue to have that discussion because it\u2019s right that we continuously review the evidence before us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the Executive\u2019s plan, P1 to P3 primary school children will return to school on March 8th.<\/p>\n
On March 22nd, secondary school children in key exam years \u2013 years 12-14 \u2013 will return.<\/p>\n
On that same date, the P1-P3 cohort is due to revert to home learning for one week ahead of the Easter holidays \u2013 to mitigate the impact on infection rates of the secondary school cohort\u2019s return.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said officials from the departments of health and education were going to examine that aspect of the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we all recognize that given there is an extra day off with St Patrick\u2019s Day and given other data and what is happening generally that we would like to say those children may be able to stay at school for that week, so it\u2019s not a huge change, I recognize that, but it\u2019s just to try and help parents around that,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
No date has so far been given for the return of the wider school population.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster acknowledged there was a need for clarity for those year groups.<\/p>\n
Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill made clear the main reopening plan remained as it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s right and appropriate that the Executive\u2019s priority is to get children back into school safely,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s the very point \u2013 it has to be safe and it has to be sustainable, and we don\u2019t want an on\/off switch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really important to give that clarity and certainty. So you ask the question about what\u2019s changed, nothing\u2019s changed \u2013 it is the position as was outlined last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut obviously we continue to discuss everything and to make sure that everybody\u2019s joined up.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut to put to bed any confusion, the Executive\u2019s position is as it was set out last week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill also told a post-executive press conference that Northern Ireland\u2019s pathway out of lockdown strategy may not be published on Monday as planned.<\/p>\n
She said work is set to continue on the plan across the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was our desire to publish a document on Monday and if we can we will,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if it takes until Tuesday, then so be it, as long as we get it right. I think that is more important.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added the administration would produce a gradual and sustainable plan that everyone could work to.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us want another lockdown, we need to move forward in the right way, take time to look at the effects and take that into consideration every step of the way,\u201d Ms O\u2019Neill said.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster defended an approach that is set to see the plan based on data and not structured around certain dates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we will do is we will keep to the standard of reviewing the regulations every three weeks, as we have done throughout this year, and every time we look at things we will hope that we can move further because, as I\u2019ve often said, this is about proportionality and it\u2019s making sure that we don\u2019t keep these restrictions in place for a minute longer than we feel that we have to or are advised to by our medical advisers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it is so important that we move towards freedom and that people are allowed to go back to a way of life which frankly has been missing from Northern Ireland and from across the world for an entire year now.\u201d<\/p>\n
A further five Covid-19-linked deaths were announced by Stormont\u2019s Department of Health on Thursday, along with another 281 confirmed cases of the virus.<\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, there were 341 Covid-positive patients in hospital, of whom 44 were in intensive care.<\/p>\n