Staff at the college are said to be"concerned and angry".
Worried staff contacted JOE to highlight these concerns, describing the college's plans as a"disaster waiting to happen"., a physical distance of two metres"should be maintained under all circumstances possible", with the guidelines explicitly stating that"it should be feasible to maintain 2m distance between members of staff, or between staff and students, under almost all circumstances".
In a photo seen by JOE of the proposed social distancing in a lecture theatre in NUIG , every second seat has been signposted as not to be used. With a seat measurement of approximately 80cm, according to a member of staff, this would leave students less than one metre apart from one another. SIPTU representatives on Wednesday wrote to Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris,"seeking clarification on the public health guidelines for the return of students and staff to third level campuses".