Author Archives: Bodger

Dr Cillian De Gascun, Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory

This morning.

On RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Sarah McInerney...

Further to confusion concerning the risks of  having the same people in the same room for a meeting for over two hours, Dr Cillian De Gascun, Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said:

“So I think there are two separate issues which may have become conflated. So firstly, the two-hour is public health guidance around people who are gathered in an enclosed space together in essence.

“So I think the analogy that I would kindly use is…members of the royal family don’t travel together in case something terrible happens and you knock out the whole family together.

“So what we’re suggesting from a point of view of public health guidance is that if you’re gathered in a room of people for more than two hours, if one of those individuals subsequently becomes a confirmed case of Covid-19, everybody in that room then, if one of them subsequently becomes a confirmed case of, will be a contact and therefore will have to self-isolate for 14 days or two weeks.

“….so if they’re very senior individuals or if they’re providing a very key role in the organisation, then that key role has to stop for two weeks.

That’s really where the guidance comes from and that’s why in the context of the committee was the idea of not having the Chief Medical Officer, the CEO of the HSE and the Secretary General of the Department of Health all taken out of commission at the same time, should a case be reported in the Dail.

“So what we’re suggesting is that the work day can continue as normal but in order to manage the risk to an organisation is that what you might do, is that people working in groups that can function together would also, if one individual in that group should subsequently become unwell or should become a confirmed case and the rest of the group has to self-isolate as close contacts, that your whole organisation is not impacted by that single case.

“So it’s really about having, you know, staggered working hours, perhaps shift work, that people would take breaks at different times but perhaps with the same individuals with whom they’d be working. You wouldn’t have a single individual perhaps like say a management figure who would cross over, across the two or three different shifts of different groups of people because then if that person becomes infected then you lose your whole team.

“So that’s really where the two hours comes from.

“So it’s certainly safe to work with people for more than two hours in the same physical location. But, as I said, we’re trying to minimise the impact of a single case on the running of an organisation.”

Anyone?

Meanwhile…

Hmm.

Rollingnews

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone in the Dáil yesterday evening

Yesterday evening.

In the Dáil.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone said Ireland would look at the Norwegian model of childcare for the phase reopening of childcare.

She added:

“Our preliminary guidance is pointing towards preparations whereby childcare will operate in pods. As far as possible, this will entail small groups of children with the same childcare practitioner in the same room with the same toys every time they are there. We are exploring the number of children that could be cared for by a single adult childcare practitioner. They will play together and will be encouraged to stay together in their pods and use outdoor spaces as much as possible.”

She later told the Dáil that “the pods plan” was “based on advice given to us by the public health expert”. It is not something that I am saying, it is the public health expert saying that.

And on facemaks, she said:

“Our preliminary advice is that the wearing of face masks by children under six years of age is unlikely to contribute to improved infection control. It may be the case that children would not use them consistently without a degree of reinforcement or coercion. This would not be desirable.”

Related: Ireland will look at ‘Norwegian model’ for reopening childcare (The Irish Times)

Meanwhile,

Um.

Kinsale, County Cork

A number of streets are being considered for pedestrianisation and a novel street pod concept, which could see diners sitting outdoors in enclosed pods, is on the cards….

Kinsale seeks reboot with ‘bold decisions’  (Eoin English, The Irish Examiner)

Transcript: Oireachtas.ie

This afternoon.

Cromcastle Drive, Kilmore, Coolock, Dublin.

Gardai at the scene of a shooting incident that occurred at approximately 2pm today.  A man in his 30s was injured and was removed by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital where his injuries are described as non-life threatening.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

 

This evening.

All flights?

Mandatory?

This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin (right) talking to Party colleague Cathal Crowe TD and unidentified gent on the plinth as the dáil resumed.

Meanwhile…

Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews