As children and teachers return to school this week some are excited, others are cautious, but everyone knows it’s not ‘back to normal’.

Schools across North Cork, and the rest of the country, are working hard to adapt classrooms, structure drop off and collection times and adhere to public health guidelines on Covid-19.

As Dr Elma Gaffney of Livinghealth, Mitchelstown, explains: “School is obviously so important for a child’s education and a vital place in which to socialise – the benefits are immense.

"Many, perhaps all, parents will be understandably cautious, but it is important to remember that the vast majority of children who have been infected with Covid-19 have had a very mild illness so, from what we know, the risk to a child is very low.

“However, we need to avoid infection being spread within schools, to staff, to children’s families and beyond to the rest of the community.

Full story in this week’s Print & Digital Edition

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A print and broadcast journalist for two decades, Graham began his career with Radio Kerry before working on radio in Western Australia and then with Regional BBC radio in the UK. He became the Sports Editor of the Irish Post newspaper in London before becoming a freelance contributor to the Irish Independent and other national print titles. Graham would spend six years as a feature writer with the Independent while also writing for the Sunday Business Post. In 2019 he began feature writing for the Irish Times in a freelance capacity. He was shortlisted for Irish Feature Writer of the year in 2017 at the Newsbrands Journalism Awards and in 2016 for sports feature of the year. Graham spent four years as a reporter with the Drivetime programme on RTÉ Radio 1. He is also the founder and national coordinator of the multi-award-winning Sanctuary Runners Movement and the Together Ireland initiative. Originally from Glenbeigh in County Kerry, he moved to Fermoy in 2012 with his wife Catherine and four children.