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5. Safety Statement and Risk Assessment 

COVID-19 represents a hazard in the context of health and safety in the school environment. Tullamore ETNS’s Policy Statement and Risk Assessment will be used to identify the control measures required to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 in school settings.

It is important that schools review their emergency procedures involving, fire safety, first aid, accidents and dangerous occurrences to consider any new risks that arise due to the COVID-19 School Response Plan. Any changes to the schools existing emergency procedures should be documented.

Schools should also review their existing risk assessments to consider any new risks that arise due to the school’s COVID-19 Response Plan. Any changes to the school’s current risk assessments should also be documented.

6. General advice to prevent the spread of the virus 

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is important to know and recognise the symptoms. They are —

• High temperature
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
• Loss of smell, of taste or distortion of taste

The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a school is to minimise the risk of introduction of the disease into the school setting in the first place.

This can be achieved through the following measures —

• Promote awareness of COVID-19 and its symptoms amongst staff, pupils, parents and visitors.
• Advise staff and parents of pupils who have symptoms of COVID-19 or other acute infectious diseases not to attend school, to phone their GP and follow the HSE guidance on self-isolation.
• Advise staff and parents of pupils who have been identified by the HSE as contact of a person with COVID-19 not to attend schools and to follow the HSE advice on restriction of movement.
• Ensure that staff and pupils know what to do if they develop symptoms at school.
• Everyone entering the school building should be required to perform hand hygiene with hand sanitiser.
• Visitors to school during the day should be by prior arrangement and should be received at a specific contact point.

Staff, pupils and visitors should at all times adhere to the up to date advice and instructions of the public health authorities in relation to protecting oneself and others against the risk posed by the Covid-19 virus.

Updated advice from the HSE is available on its website – https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus

The Department of Education and Skills will ensure all updated advice is circulated to schools. Tullamore ETNS will arrange for this advice to be circulated to staff, pupils and visitors in a timely manner and will advise staff to check the above website once daily.