A creche in north Dublin has become one of the first childcare facilities to report a case of Covid-19 since they reopened three weeks ago.
Parents whose children attend the childcare facility received a memo last week stating that a member of staff had tested positive for the virus.
The memo states that the person “was present in the creche for only one day”. According to the email, the childcare worker was working in the creche on Monday, July 13th and was asymptomatic.
“The purpose of this email is to reassure you that all protocols from the HSE and Tusla have been followed,” the email states. “Most importantly all parents whose children have been in contact with the asymptomatic educarer have been phoned personally and appropriate testing has been arranged.”
“Likewise, the small number of staff members who were in direct contact with the educarer in question are being tested and while awaiting results will not be in attendance at creche.”
The childcare facility, which remains open, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
The news comes after acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned on Monday that workplaces were the "new frontline" in the fight against coronavirus.
Several workplaces, including building sites, supermarkets and fast-food outlets, had reported new cases among staff in recent days, Dr Glynn said.
The HSE said it cannot comment on individual cases or activations “to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the businesses and the people who work there”.
Speaking generally, a spokeswoman for the HSE said where there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 in a childcare setting, the facility is contacted by the HSE public health team who conduct an assessment of the facility.
Based on this assessment, the public health team will then issue advice on the management of children and staff who came in contact with the case, the spokeswoman added.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, commenting on the case in the Dáil, said all the supports were being provided for “any person impacted and to ensure the necessary actions were being taken to prevent any spread of the virus”.
Mr O’Gorman said he could not comment on any individual cases but “the HSE and Tusla have been involved and all appropriate action has been taken”.
He said the guidance provided by the HPSC, the regulator, Tusla and his department “have proven valuable in ensuring the appropriate management of the case”.
Creches and childcare facilities across the State reopened their doors on June 29th, having been closed since mid-March. Among the protocols in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 in childcare facilities are the division of children into pods, staggered drop-off times, increased cleaning regimes and social distancing between staff.
In the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on coronavirus in childcare settings, it states that confirmed Covid-19 cases should continue to self-isolate at home for a minimum of 14 days and should not return to the childcare setting until they are advised that it is safe to do so.
The guidance adds that close contacts of a confirmed case should go home and restrict their movements for 14 days and should not attend the facility during that time.
Close contacts of confirmed cases are offered testing for Covid-19 and will need to stay away from the childcare centre for 14 days even if the virus is not detected on the tests.
This is because some people who are infected do not have a positive test at the time the test was taken, the guidance states.
