IT Carlow Students’ Union calls for face coverings to be made mandatory
New guidelines recommend masks are worn in lecture halls where two metre social distancing isn't possible.

The students’ union of IT Carlow is calling for face coverings to be made mandatory in all higher education institutes.
Masks are already compulsory on all public transport and the rules will include shops and shopping centres from next Monday.
New guidelines now recommend they’re also worn in lecture halls where two metre social distancing isn’t possible.
Thomas Drury, President of IT Carlow’s Students’ Union, says it’s not enough that the guidelines are only advisory, and can’t actually be enforced:
“‘I’m struggling to see why they haven’t made it mandatory in higher education institutes, and it’s only advisory. I don’t think they’re going to get what they want out of it. I can’t see a lot of students wearing face masks all the time.. You know how students can be, they don’t want to wear them and it’s just going to be really hard to police. So I think they should have made it mandatory, and just making it advisory might not have as much of an effect as people are thinking.”