Antigen testing for asymptomatic close contacts will begin in primary schools on or before November 29th.
The Education and Health Ministers announced the move today.
Tests will be made available to children in a primary school pod, where a child in the pod has tested positive for Covid 19.
Where two or more Covid cases occur in a class, within a seven-day period, outside of a single pod, antigen testing will be offered to the full class.
The tests will be sent to the children's parents by the HSE.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation has said in a statement this afternoon, "INTO will be looking closely at the detail of the antigen testing measures announced by Minister Foley this afternoon, which are expected to see the rollout of antigen testing in certain circumstances in schools, on or before 29 November.
"For eight months the government has procrastinated and failed to implement the recommendations of an expert group who proposed a pilot antigen study in primary schools. As a union, we have been campaigning for the introduction of antigen testing since the premature withdrawal of testing and contact tracing from primary schools in September of this year.
"It is imperative any new scheme is properly resourced and kept under review. Infection levels are rising in our schools and the wider community at an alarming rate. Swift deployment, clear guidance, and a full suite of supports for schools will be essential if this measure is to have the necessary impact on our schools. Once again, we call on the government to launch an effective national public awareness campaign designed to stop those who are symptomatic from attending our schools.”
