Tests will be voluntary and free, to be taken before staff and members leave home, the Business Committee has agree. Understand 3 members suggested TDs and Senators should pay, but that was rejected.
— Paul Hosford (@PTHosford) November 18, 2021
This morning/afternoon.
The ‘very, very, expensive’ Antigen tests.
Yesterday: Test This
Update:
Gary Gannon, education spokesmnan for the Social Democrats, said:
“It is incredible that arrangements for antigen tests would be put in place for TDs before teachers and children in primary schools.
“The government has now been promising for months to put in place a system of antigen testing in schools, but we are still none-the-wiser about the details of any proposed scheme. Speaking during the week, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly refused to give any indication of when this scheme is likely to be rolled out.
“In that context, it is indefensible for free antigen testing to be rolled out for TDs before they are made available for teachers and children. Schools are under severe pressure from the current onslaught of covid cases and testing is desperately required to identify case and suppress transmission.
“Meanwhile, a proposed subsidy scheme, for antigen tests for the wider community, has also not been announced yet. This means the cost of antigen tests are prohibitive for many who would otherwise use them.”
That “Withnail and I” line is way over the heads of the Broadsheet crowd, Bodger. The majority are still struggling with Father Ted.
Shysters.
tests for me, not for thee
Lets apply some common sense here- antigen tests should be rolled out to those who are at highest risk of CoVid-19 and that is in the main older people so yes, people like TD’s should be first. Along with other areas where middle aged and older congregate, which probably won’t happen- but that’s another story.
My point is that if the toss up is between testing ALL visitors and staff frequenting nursing homes or schools- then nursing homes should win every single time. Interesting that Sweden has just withdrawn a recommendation to exclude vaccinated people from testing btw.
There is no reason why TD’s cannot pay of course- because they can well afford it.
“It is incredible that arrangements for antigen tests would be put in place for TDs before teachers and children in primary schools.”
er no Gary it isn’t. how long have you been living in this country exactly? how long have you been hanging around Kildare street for your living?
(nicely done on that header bodger btw)
Lets compare testing for 160 TDs versus one million school children and their teachers.
These are about the same? 160 and 1,000,000
How about showing some civility in this dire time for the State and agreed to pay for their own until they were rolled out for children? I’m sure you agree it should have been done months ago.
Agreed. The individual TDs can (and should) agree to this.
But if they implement a employer-must-pay attitude then will this will also become the default? And all the poor nurses will be forced to pay for their own antigen tests?
I presume you mean an employee must pay attitude and no it won’t become default because there is no reason for it to be. We have seen on several occasions TD’s working within their own system and this would be no different. Strange you are coming at it like this to be honest.
Cian
that’s a bit “look at this thing over there” off of you if you don’t mind me saying so.
it’s about the attitude. it’s yet another pisstake. where there’s supposed to be vocation instead we see greed and self-interest and a lack of class on display. as usual. seemingly small matters like this are like warning lights on a dashboard for me, tell me all I need to know.
as I said on some random post yesterday tidbits like these make me yearn for a Direct Democracy model a la the Swiss.
Politics is a strange profession- it seems like the less you pay them, the better the quality.
Of course TDs are going to get it for free. If they have to pay, they’ll claim for a month’s supply every week on their expenses.
Do you think Covid is a thing … no
Why are you complaining about the price of fake tests…
Meanwhile… putting the private sector to work.,.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-calls-up-private-doctors-covid-19-cases-surge-2021-11-18/
Ha ha! I shouldn’t be surprised that they put themselves first for freebies. Irish politics 101.
The Irish political class are on the whole a corrupt shower of me feiners IMO.
That said I can see why it’s easier to roll out something to the Dail than to schools and I’ve no issue with the leaders of the country protecting themselves. Also the school thing has just been clarified.
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1118/1261705-education-ireland/
“Antigen tests will be made available in primary schools on or before 29 November, Minister for Education Norma Foley has confirmed.”
“The tests will be free of charge, Minister Foley added.”