HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris has said restrictions put on people to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak cannot stay in place for very long and he is concerned about the nation’s mental health.
The restrictions will remain in place for the next two weeks until Easter Sunday when they will be reviewed.
Under the restrictions, people are only allowed to leave their home for essential work, to buy food, attend medical appointments, vital family reasons or to take exercise within 2km of their home.
Harris told radio station FM104 he is unsure when the restrictions will remain in place until but hopes some progress is made by Easter Sunday.
“Will the measure be extended beyond Easter Sunday? I’ve got to be truthful, I don’t know. I think these measures are so restrictive and significant that you cannot leave them in place for a very long time.
“The judgement call our doctors had to make was, what is the right time to bring these measures in? So what we’re planning to do is going intensively at this now for a couple of weeks so that when we get to Easter Sunday we can see some progress.
“Everything can’t go back to normal – it would be a complete fantasy to think that would happen. This virus will be with us for many months but is there some things we can lift on Easter Sunday? That is what we are all hoping.”
Mental health
Harris said the situation is “bloody tough”. In terms of children not being at school, he said: “The novelty of having a couple of days off school have long worn off. It was like the first day of the snow when everyone was happy to be home. On the second day they were getting a bit bored and on the third day they wanted out of their houses.
“It is tough for families at home – kids are off school and climbing the walls.”
Harris continued: “These measures are tough but we are doing them to save lives because we don’t want to go the way of Italy where almost 1,000 people died in one day. We wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t absolutely serious.
People in Ireland are really pulled together at the moment but there is something I am worried about beyond the coronavirus and that is people’s mental health. It is not normal what we are asking people to do.
“All of us miss friends, family and we like meeting up and the odd hug, going to the pub and having a pint and meeting your friends.
“I don’t want to sound naff when I say this but we all need to be kinder to each other. The next two weeks are going to be tough but the prize is huge. If we get this right, we’re going to look back at this time where we lived through this weird time and couldn’t go more than 2km from our house to walk the dog and so on.
“Without worrying people, there is always more steps we can take but at the moment there isn’t a sheet in the department with a load of more measures we can take. What we have done is pretty serious and significant. It has effectively suspended normal life for people right across the country.”
‘The best of Ireland, but some idiots’
Harris praised Irish people for their efforts during the crisis.
“People are making a big effort and it has really shown the best of Ireland. We have seen so many people step forward and say I want to help.
“I don’t want to over-egg it but we have seen some annoying behaviour where gardaí have been spat at on the street and this stupid thing called the corona challenge where people go and cough in people’s faces.
You will get idiots in every situation but the overwhelming majority of Irish people have been amazing.
The minister will meet nursing home officials this afternoon to discuss new measures to tackle Covid-19 in nursing homes.
In a message on Twitter last night, Harris said he was worried about the prevalence of the the virus among older people.
According to Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) data, Covid-19 clusters were reported in three residential settings and 17 nursing homes,
The nursing home clusters account for 22% of the total number of clusters outbreaks in the Republic.
CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland Tadhg Daly told RTÉ radio: “We’re somewhat concerned the HSE is still recruiting people from our sector and one of our asks of the minister today will be to desist recruiting people who are already working on the frontline.
“This is a national effort and we need a national response. People who applied to the On Call initiative should be made available to the nursing home sector if and when required.”
Yesterday 10 more deaths from Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland were announced, bringing the total death toll to 46 people. The median age of the deaths is 77.
The National Public Health Emergency Team also confirmed 200 new cases of the virus in Ireland, bringing the total number of cases here to 2,615.
The Chinese ambassador in Ireland said he and his staff at the Embassy are helping to organise the millions of euro worth of protective equipment for healthcare workers in Ireland.
The first of dozens of flights from China carrying consignments of personal protective equipment (PPE) landed in Dublin yesterday.
Speaking to Morning Ireland, He Xiangdong said: “The airports in Beijing and Shanghai are terribly busy with all the cargo flights from abroad.
“I think the supply chain in China is under huge pressure, we will do our best for all the world.
“I think the HSE procurement department is working closely with the supplier in China. We will try and do our best together to make sure all the PPE will abide by the standards.”
With reporting by Órla Ryan
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