Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr. Tony Holohan has said that now is not the time to end the cocooning of over 70s to protect them from Covid-19.
Holohan said this evening that he is aware that it is a “challenging” request to make but that the virus has a “greater impact” on elderly people, regardless of their level of fitness.
Relatives and friends of those who are cocooned are permitted and encouraged to shop on their behalf.
With these restrictions now extended until at least 5 May, there have been some calls for the cocooning restrictions to be lifted for over 70s, allowing them exercise in the same way that those under 70s are specifically allowed.
But speaking this evening, Holohan said cocooning is not about suggesting that people over 70 are necessarily unfit or have medical conditions.
“I can understand how challenging that is and how frustrating it is, many people over the age of 70 are fit and healthy and probably had a pre-existing lifestyle of active exercise, active participation in society so it’s particularly challenging for people in those age groups and those circumstances,” he said.
The reality is, we know that the risk of infection having a greater impact on an individual is greater, by virtue of your age, almost independent of whether you have an underlying medical condition or not. So somebody who’s older has a greater risk of having a more complicated experience with this infection if they pick it up. And we think that we can’t give advice to people that it’s appropriate for them to come back out and come to an end of the period of cocooning until we think that we have sufficient control in the community generally in relation to this disease, we don’t think we’re at that point yet.
“And while we think we’re making continued progress in that direction, we think we’re not there just a moment in time,” he added.
Related Reads
Cocooning during coronavirus: Who needs to do it and what steps should they take?
Holohan said Professor Philip Nolan of the National Public Health Emergency Team will tomorrow provide a more detailed briefing of where the group believes the progress of Covid-19 is in Ireland.
He added, however, it’s not yet at the point where the cocooning advice can be lifted.
“We won’t want to continue an arrangement like this, or a recommendation like this, given how challenging it is for people any the longer than we think that we think is necessary. But we think we’re not at that point yet,” he said.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
TheJournal.ie's Coronavirus Newsletter
TheJournal.ie's coronavirus newsletter cuts through the misinformation and noise with the clear facts you need to make informed choices. Sign up here
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
30 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
I’m sorry elder people but it is far from that point yet..and majority of young people are staying home albeit not the same as cocooning but at home but for shopping and a walk to keep ye from getting sick..I’m home alone a bit younger, haven’t seen my family but would rather be here than with a ventilator in a hospital.sit tight.and stay alive..
@The Irish Pain: overblowing the fact that over 400 have died and yesterday 2 care workers 50s and 40s..scaremongering.dont you dare use that word ..I’m saying what I hear and see..and want all my family alive when this is over..good name..suits you..
So far my parents have stayed in except for my father driving me to supermarket. However dont know if they could stick it if it went on for much longer after the 5th of May.
@Alan Gee: Well the overall issue is that they are the at risk group and increase their risk of infection and based on their vulnerability its more likely they may need ICU treatment. The health service gets stretched further and fatalities increase, so they’re taking chances for other people too.
@Alan Gee: you see, that’s the tip of the issue. So Joe Bloggs doesn’t value much in life and accepts the risk, then turns out, he actually get it bad, who in turn expects family, care workers to step up to the mark, ends up in ICU, infects a worker, the worker infects her husband, who infects someone else.
I think you know well the issue. I’m not sure 1, people realise how contagious this is or 2, if they are OK with getting infected or die from it the ramifications for others with this mindset.
It’s almost selfish, in a weird way
@filthypete: but that doesn’t explain exactly how they are putting themselves at any further risk if they left the house for an hour walk around the block and practicing social distance – or in a car alone to take a dog for a walk in the park – I appreciate the Dr has more knowledge about the risks but it still isn’t clear why they couldn’t have said they need to stay away from shops and cocoon but allowed to walk the dog or spin down to the parks or beach – it can not be logically any more risk and in fact should be beneficial to them getting fresh air , working the muscles and vitamin D – all recommended to over 70s. I haven’t heard a genuine reason why some limited walking for over 70s isn’t allowed.
@Dave Hammond: simply put because inside the house is a more controlled environment. Outside they’ve no control over actions of others or if unintentionally come into contact with surfaces outside it has a greater risk than contact with a surface in their house. It’s all about risk reduction.
I think we need to either have a day a week for over 70s to be allowed move around or lift the cocoon from 5th if the numbers are looking good at that point.
@Lorcs Byrne: do you..and all this will have been a waste of time.because majority of people that died are over 70.children have stayed in to keep grandparents well..children that are healthy, teenagers that are healthy, young adults that are healthy, prob most people under 60 that are healthy ,WILL survive it..so if it’s been to long and you think they should come out.then life goes back to normal except lots of funerals..
@Lorcs Byrne: cocooning sucks. I know the reasons for it but it is very hard to cope and bad for mental health especially for people who live on their own. One minute you are healthy getting lots of exercise going for coffee etc next you are elderly your independence taken away & relying on strangers to do your shopping etc. I was totally overwhelmed when I heard it was for another 3 weeks and maybe longer.
@Shirley Hollingsworth: i appreciate your point of view but you seem unable to explain why some limited walking say once a day while practicing social distancing would put them at risk of catching covid – if they are not coming into contact with anybody they cant – thats the facts – they dont have to be allowed into supermarkets etc – just allowed for some exercise and dog walking etc.
@nelliekel: So how they now they are cured?They have to make the test at least once…someone has to keep those records.If they do not keep records..they are not doing a proper job….One patient has covid ..he does not need Icu…his released…to go home…how he knows is healed
Holohan and varadker are twins working to the same agenda, destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and dont care, power hungry, deceitful and overpaid.
Deliveroo and Klarna: Debt advisor Mabs urges people not to 'eat now, pay later'
10 hrs ago
15.3k
64
Gaza
Eight people, including pregnant woman, killed in latest Israeli strikes across Gaza
17 mins ago
167
Kerry
Tributes paid to 18-year-old Luke Silles who has died following a swimming accident
17 hrs ago
74.2k
13
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 197 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 137 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 177 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 139 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 101 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 102 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 47 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 43 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 161 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 73 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 96 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 102 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 45 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 60 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 29 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 112 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 115 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 84 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 63 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 107 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 90 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say