At 8pm on Sunday, Met Éireann announced that all of Ireland is facing a Red level wind warning as a result of Hurricane Ophelia.
Minutes later, the government announced that schools across the country should remain closed. Originally, it was only schools in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Mayo, Galway, Wexford and Waterford that were advised to shut their doors. Now the directive has been expanded to reflect the seriousness of the storm.
Colleges had also been in the process of deciding whether or not to remain open, but the Department of Education have taken the decision out of their hands.
A statement by the government said that the decision was taken after consultation with the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and Met Éireann. The statement describes the storm as “unprecedented.”
ALL schools, colleges and educational institutions instructed to close Monday 16th October by @Education_Ire #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/fKzJWzq2wd
— Aoife Gillivan (@AoifeGillivan) October 15, 2017
UPDATE:
All schools administrated by the Norther Ireland Executive are also advised to close tomorrow.
@Education_NI has announced that all schools should close tomorrow (Monday 16 October) as precautionary measure in light of weather warnings
— NI Executive (@niexecutive) October 15, 2017
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