IRISH SCHOOLS have been thrown into chaos because of a Government review ordering the withdrawal of a over 50 types of sanitising products.
The Department of Education issued an urgent plea to schools to drop 52 products that have been removed from its approved list.
17 types of hand sanitisers have been removed from the approved list, along with five types of hand sanitiser refills.
Eight types of hand soap, eight detergents and 14 types of wipes have also been removed from the list.
It's understood that the withdrawal will affect most schools in Ireland.
The Department said there was no evidence that the products were unsafe but that it "has not been possible to satisfactorily confirm their registration status."
172 products in total were examined during the review - which was sparked after the recall of the ViraPro hand gel and other ViraPro items from the education and HSE procurement lists because of health and safety concerns.
This comes despite the Minister for Agriculture saying last weekend that there was not "any question or any sign of there being issues with any other hand sanitiser".
The Department of Education has told schools that they will be provided with funding to obtain new supplies.
In a statement, the department said that the "Education Procurement Service has engaged with suppliers on the [PPE] agreement in the last few days and there is sufficient stocks available for schools to order".
"The Department is working with suppliers to ensure that stock is provided to schools in time for reopening on Monday, November 2 where needed."
"Suppliers are ready to prioritise school orders they receive."
