4 January 2021
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Deputy O’Sullivan had urged the Road Safety Authority and Minister for Transport to consider this change earlier this week due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the rapidly increasing demand on medical practitioners.
Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central Pádraig O’Sullivan has called for disability services and schools for children with special needs to continue to remain open during the Level 5 COVID-19 restrictions.
Deputy O Sullivan commented, “I understand that the Government will make a decision on Wednesday morning about whether or not schools will reopen next week.
“It is a key objective of the Government’s plan for living with COVID-19 that our children and school staff can attend school safely. As of now, the government has not received a recommendation from medical experts in infectious diseases or public health to close our schools.
“We need to ensure that our education system continues to support children with complex needs. Students with special needs share a need for special services in order to make progress.
“At the start of the pandemic, many respite care services were cancelled leaving vulnerable people and their families without much needed services. I would ask that the Minister give a commitment to ensuring that these services will continue to remain open and operate as an essential service,” concluded Deputy O’Sullivan.
