A GROUP of Belfast nursery heads has written to the Education Minister voicing its "extreme concerns" at the full reopening of their schools today.
North & South Belfast Nursery School Principals Group, which represents 16 facilities in the area, is urging Peter Weir to reconsider his decision "in the interests of our children, their families, our community and our staff".
They want to see the same delayed opening for primary schools applied to nurseries and pre-schools.
On New Year's Eve, Mr Weir announced changes to reopening arrangements, saying primary schools would be taught remotely until January 11 as would post-primary pupils.
After that, pupils in years 8 to 11 will continue to be taught remotely until the end of January while pupils in years 12 to 14 will attend school for face-to-face teaching.
The principals' group said that with some of the highest figures to date recently recorded in Northern Ireland (3,576 cases and 26 deaths in a 48-hour period) and a new variant of the virus, action is essential to protect communities and the NHS.
"We work with very young children, whose care and development depends on human contact and interaction," the letter said.
"Due to the nature of our work ... this has put the staff at a higher risk of contracting the virus due to unavoidable intimate and close care required.
"Distancing young children from staff and each other is neither possible nor appropriate within this crucial phase of development."
The letter, which listed 11 points and asked the minister for clarification on each, also said the biggest rise in infection rates has been among the 20-39 age group, "the category our parents fall into".
"The safety risk to schools is overwhelming," it added. "There is more evidence surfacing suggesting the new variant is more transmissible among children aged 0-19."
The principals also pointed to evidence from the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) which shows transmission is taking place at the same rate in nursery schools as in primary schools.
