The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is likely to recommend that all Dublin-based higher education institutions should shift as much learning online as possible, in response to level three restrictions, which are expected to be imposed on Dublin tomorrow.
In a tweet earlier today, Mícheál Lehane, an RTÉ News reporter, said that NPHET is “likely to recommend that all third level colleges in Dublin should seek to offer tuition online as much as possible”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said there was “a very real and strong possibility” that guidance for Dublin could change by the end of the week and the capital could be faced with further restrictions.
RTÉ News reported that the cabinet COVID-19 Sub Committee will meet tomorrow to make a final decision on the possible introduction of level three restrictions.
The Government launched Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 earlier this week, which consists of five levels of restrictions which may be imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Ireland is currently at level two restrictions, with Dublin having some additional restrictions.
If level three restrictions are imposed on the capital, further, higher and adult education institutions are expected “to escalate all appropriate protective measures and limit congregation as far as possible”, according to the Government’s website.
College declined to comment at this moment on the potential closure of higher education institutions in Dublin.
On Sunday, The University Times reported that all students would have some in-person learning in the coming semester.
In an interview with this newspaper, Senior Lecturer Kevin Mitchell said that when formulating the timetables College had worked to “balance the desire to have face-to-face teaching with the need to abide by the safety restrictions and look across the different activities to see which ones can be done well online and which ones can only be done face to face and which ones you would rather do face to face”.
The teaching term is due to commence on the September 28th, with second, third and fourth years scheduled to begin classes that week. Freshers week is also set to take place on September 28th.
