Education Minister says there's no plans to introduce mass testing for schools

The Education Minister says there's no plans to introduce mass testing for schools as part of this month's re-opening. 

Norma Foley is updating the Dáil on the phased return of in-class teaching.

A number of TDs have raised concerns that some students won't be back in the classroom for more than a month. 

Minister Norma Foley says there's no plans at the moment to bring mass testing in as part of the re-opening: "The current public health advice is that serial antigen or PCR testing is not currently recommended as a public health measure to keep schools safe. The position is being kept under review by the HSE and an expert group is in place examining the use of antigen tests in schools and other workplace settings. I would continue of course to be guided by the advice of the public health authorities in relation to all risk mitigation measures being implemented in the education sector. "