Getting children back to school safely is a problem facing all countries in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and it is fair to say it is one that does not have any easy answers.
The Department of Education issued guidance in June that reduced social distancing to one metre and talked about expanding into church halls and other available spaces to accommodate pupils.
Many schools have made plans based on this advice, and have been informing parents of the arrangements for the start of the new term later this month which in many cases involves part-time attendance.
This would obviously present working parents with considerable difficulty and would have a wider impact on getting people back to work and helping the economic recovery.
Ideally, all our children receive a full-time education, with face-to-face teaching, in the structured and supportive environment that a school provides.
The issue, of course, is ensuring both pupils and staff are protected and the virus is not transmitted to vulnerable family members.
In what is being seen as a bold move, the executive yesterday backed a return to the classroom five days a week, with a range of safeguards.
These include a system of protective bubbles for pupils in year 1-10, and while there has been no recommendation on wearing masks, it is likely that this will become the focus of further debate in the days ahead.
The executive also moved to clarify the position on wearing face coverings in shops and other indoor spaces, making them compulsory from Monday.
This is earlier than had been anticipated but it was apparent that the scientific and medical advice was strongly in favour and an approach based on encouragement was not resulting in a huge uptake.
It is a decision that will be welcomed by the thousands of people who have been shielding for four months but also those who have concerns about the lax attitude to safety measures by some members of the public that has been witnessed as the restrictions have eased.
In recent days we have seen rising case numbers and an increase in the R rate above one, and if making masks mandatory helps us to prevent the spread of the virus then it has to be seen as a positive step.
