TWELVE-THOUSAND schoolchildren in Ireland are currently in isolation after being identified as close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19, according to the HSE.
Schools across the country reopened last week, but already thousands of pupils have had their education disrupted by being forced to remain at home.
It's understood that around 1,200 schools have reported at least one case of Covid-19 among their pupils, including roughly 700 primary schools and 500 secondary schools.
For each case that is reported, around 15 students - on average - are found to be close contacts, which has lead to thousands of children being forced into isolation.
Face masks will not be mandatory in England from 19 JulyAdvice currently available to parents of students says that children cannot return to class until they receive a negative PCR test result on day 10 of their isolation.
If a parent does not agree to their child being tested, the child must be kept home from school for 14 days.
Given that schools have only been opened for a few days, there are fears that the problems could worsen significantly in the coming weeks as more and more children are forced to stay at home.
