Relief for parents as playgrounds can reopen

…provided they can be supervised at all times

THERE was some good news for hard-pressed parents as it was announced that outdoor playgrounds and amenities are allowed to reopen from Monday.

Crucially, however, only playgrounds that are supervised will be permitted to open, But summer camps have been given the go-ahead from Monday, once there are no more than 15 people mixing together.

However, the GAA said yesterday that its Cúl Camps – the largest summer camps in the country – will not restart until July 20.

Although Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that outdoor facilities and amenities for children including commercial ones may open from Monday, his department later clarified that playgrounds in designated public parks and other public locations must be supervised and regularly cleaned by local authorities.

The department also said there should be guidance from the supervisor on the availability of hand sanitiser, on cleaning by parents or guardians of children’s hands before, during and after play; and on the safe use of play equipment, such as avoiding overcrowding of equipment, and cleaning between use.

However, Dublin City Council last night said it would not be reopening its 100 playgrounds next week, pending further clarification.

It said it did not operate supervised playgrounds, and that to do so, it would have to move hundreds of staff onto playground duty.

Other councils said they too were awaiting further details on how the playgrounds were to open.

The announcement appeared to rule out re-opening unsupervised, local community playgrounds.

GAA Cúl Camp director, Charlie Harrison, said GAA camps will not go ahead until July 20 at the earliest. The GAA also said when the Cúl Camps do open up, it is ‘advisable that children limit their involvement to one camp’.

The groups will be smaller and before every session, players, parents and backroom personnel are to complete a standard risk assessment health questionnaire.

A spokesman said: ‘We are still fleshing out details on Cúl Camps and we expect to be in a position to announce those details inside the next week.’

Mr Varadkar also confirmed that a summer education programme for children with special educational needs and those at risk of disadvantage will proceed.

The programme, similar to the existing extended school year or July Provision scheme, will rely on schools, teachers and special needs assistants choosing to participate.

Typically, about 10,000 children with autism and or with a severe or profound intellectual disability are entitled to home tuition or in-school support during the summer months.

This year, Education Minister Joe McHugh said it will also include young people with complex needs and children with Down syndrome. He will bring detailed proposals to Government next week, but he has confirmed that any child who has been eligible in previous years will be eligible again this summer.

Creches will reopen from June 29, and they have been asked to give priority to the children of frontline workers, childcare practitioners and vulnerable children.

Meanwhile, a leading expert in gender equality has said it is ‘ridiculous’ to try to open up the economy from Monday without putting childcare in place.

Professor of sociology and social policy at the University of Limerick Pat O’Connor said that the Government’s accelerated return to business appeared to be based on a belief that one parent in every family remained at home full-time.

‘Opening up the economy without dealing with the issue of childcare is totally ridiculous,’ she said.

‘What are people to do? How can we open up the country when many of the people who work in shops and other areas are women? And when we currently have no schools and no creches, and even frontline workers in the health service have no childcare?’

Prof. O’Connor said that grandparents might now be able to help out, but only if they lived within the same county, or within 20km.

And she warned that the lack of childcare could impact on parents’ job security and even their future careers. ‘What if you say you can’t go into work. What attitude are they going to take? And even if they are sympathetic it will put you under a compliment. And that means you will be more reluctant to negotiate for an increased salary, or go for a promotion,’ the professor said.

She suggested horse racing and golf had, unfairly, taken priority in policy making.

Councils awaiting further details