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The new plan seeks to get students back on campus come the new academic year. Shutterstock/haireena

Students to get back on campus as college reopening plans to be signed off by Cabinet

Cabinet will also consider doubling home quarantine to ten days for unvaccinated people travelling from Britain to Ireland.

CABINET WILL TODAY sign off on the reopening plan for college and university campuses for the next academic year.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris will bring the plan to Cabinet for reopening third level education for the 2021/22 academic year, which will see mainly on-site activity for all students and staff.

At a minimum, the plan sets out that laboratory teaching, classroom-based teaching, tutorials, workshops and smaller lectures can take place on site. 

College offices and workplaces, as well as libraries, will also be reopened.

Meanwhile, canteens, sports facilities, clubs and societies as well as bars can also reopen in accordance with public health advice.

It is envisaged that large-scale lectures will also be allowed.

Institutions will be asked to prepare for this with a further report to Government in July.

The sector is also expected to build a robust system to facilitate and support the vaccination programme for students and staff, as well as the promoting of symptom awareness among students, learners and staff.

Colleges will also be expected to have supports for symptomatic students and staff, such as possible PCR testing.

Rapid antigen testing may potentially be a significant element of this system, it is understood.

If proven through piloting and feasibility studies, the benefits of rapid testing could provide an additional element to the control strategy set out in national guidance.

In addition, there will be provision for further and higher education and training, including on-site presence for apprentices, English language education, and the resumption of research activity, over the summer months.

Appropriate protective measures will be in place and numbers on site will be controlled.

This approach to returning on-site over the summer period will assist institutions and providers in organising and managing the safe return of larger numbers in the autumn.

Quarantine

Separately, Cabinet is to consider doubling home quarantine to 10 days for unvaccinated people travelling from Britain to Ireland. 

Yesterday, The Journal reported that Cabinet is set to recommend the lifting of existing quarantine requirements for travellers from Britain who have received both doses of a vaccine.

At present, passengers arriving to the country from Britain are requested to quarantine at a home address for 14 days on arrival here, but can exit quarantine with a negative Covid-19 PCR test result after five days.

Under the new rules under consideration, people arriving into Ireland who are not fully vaccinated will be requested to quarantine at a home address for 10 days on arrival here, with a second PCR test taken after the ten-day period, rather than the current five days.

There are no restrictions in place for travel into or out of Northern Ireland to and from Britain, as long as passengers are travelling within the UK. There are currently no restrictions in place for inter-county travel on the island of Ireland.

Senior government sources say the measures are being introduced to “slow down” and “delay” the spread of the Delta variant and to ensure more people can get the second vaccine dose before the variant becomes dominant. 

They said it is “inevitable” that a more transmissible strain will become dominant, just as the B117 variant did, but also noted that there will continue to be more variants emerging, and the government will keep a watchful eye on the hospitalisation and ICU numbers as well as any marked increase in deaths, rather than the main focus being on case numbers.

On a separate matter, Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys will today inform the Cabinet that she has lifted emergency visa requirements imposed on passport holders from a number of countries.

An order was signed in January to require nationals from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Suriname and Uruguay to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State.

That order will be lifted with immediate effect today, meaning that necessary travel can resume for nationals from the above countries.

However, public health measures still remain in place for all those arriving into Ireland and the Irish Government strongly advises against unnecessary international travel to Ireland.

Arrivals – regardless of nationality or passport held – from the countries subject to today’s decision will still be required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine, carry out necessary tests and adhere to public health measures.

The government believes the mandatory hotel quarantine and other public health measures in place for international travel are providing effective safeguards, meaning there is now no need to maintain the interim visa requirements.

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    Mute Annette
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:35 AM

    Something seriously wrong here, this poor woman and her surviving daughter what she must have gone through!! Unimaginable

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    Mute Bernard Kilmurray
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:37 AM

    Where were the lifeguards?

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    Mute John Horan
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:46 AM

    @Bernard Kilmurray: There is a minimum size rule before you need a lifeguard.

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    Mute CC
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    Dec 28th 2019, 9:54 AM

    @John Horan: yeah I think of the pool is bigger than 200/250 sqm ? Read someone’s comment on another article. Just heartbreaking.

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    Mute Paddy Dunne
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:04 AM

    I think the question has to be asked is what kind of pool is this ,is this a normal pool or is there some wave making mechanism in it to say that they were pulled into the deep part of the pool and not able to get out sounds sinister to me ,
    God bless that poor woman a holiday that cost her husband and children unimaginable

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Dec 28th 2019, 9:58 AM

    Tragic, whatever the cause.

    More unroped easily accessible Lifebuoys, positioned adjacent to entry points / steps and to the side, should be mandatory for hotel pools.

    Buoys being too far away and all tied up seems the norm, which is no good in a panic scenario – likely with the story here.

    It’s a bit unrealistic to expect lifeguard cover at a hotel 24/7. Costs would be too prohibitive for all but very top end of the market.

    A small floatation device attached to a foot, no matter how good the swimmer, especially if not a regular, should not take from the enjoyment of a dip.

    One can’t be too careful with children near water.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 11:35 AM

    @Rory J Leonard what a tragedy – poor family –

    I dont know why you speculate about buoys being likely far away – the pic of the pool in the article shows a large orange rung buoy right beside the pool ??

    Something doesn’t add up here ??

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    Mute Dublin
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    Dec 28th 2019, 6:32 PM

    I almost drowned in a hotel pool in Tenerife (Gran Tacande in Costa Adeje resort).
    My sister and mum came to save me but they too immediately began to struggle. They’re both better swimmers than me. There were TWO lifeguards on duty, both sitting atop a high chair supposedly looking out for this sort of thing. None of them saw or helped. It was only when I went to the bottom my mum screamed to the top of her lungs. She was screaming before but people though she was playing. When they realised it was serious, 3men dived in to immediately save me and pull me to the size where I had CPR.
    The lifeguards watched, then came down to inspect what was going on. They were almost EXACTLY useless. Never visiting the hotel again. Don’t underestimate how easy it could be to drown in shallow-is water.

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    Mute Marie Broomfield
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    Dec 28th 2019, 11:33 AM

    Some news media mad to add the non swimmers element . First it was possibly non swimmers, then it came as a direct quote from surviving child. As for the official report, BBC news said the pool was investigated and found not at fault but then added, the pools pumping system was being examined. So the pool is not in the clear yet. The state broadcasters are the only news media that can be trusted because they don’t have any reason to make a story juicier. Imo

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    Mute Bernard Kilmurray
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:39 AM

    Where were the lifeguards???

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    Mute Breda Clarke
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    Dec 28th 2019, 5:52 PM

    So very sad but I can’t help but think why the dad used the steps to get into the pool. I know I’d jump in if my child was in difficulty as I can swim. I think a person who is not a confident swimmer would be inclined to use the steps.

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    Mute Barry Evans
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:46 PM

    @Breda Clarke: that’s what you took from this? That he didn’t dive in like some movie action hero??

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    Mute Bopper Bops Holland
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    Dec 28th 2019, 1:34 PM

    What time did it happen

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    Mute nelliekel
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    Dec 28th 2019, 4:16 PM

    Doesn’t seem to be a run down flea pit of hotel so why is there no cctv as most hotels have it now if only for the compo culture

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    Mute Dublin
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    Dec 28th 2019, 6:40 PM

    Testing if my comments ever show up !

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    Mute Dublin
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    Dec 28th 2019, 6:36 PM

    Don’t underestimate

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