Monday, 16 March 2020

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC 100 MILLION LIVE UNDER LOCKDOWN ACROSS EUROPE

UPDATED: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said he thinks there will be "no dramatic new decisions today" in relation to restrictions on businesses and the public in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. He warned people to "be careful" where they obtain information from. These were extraordinary times, he said, and people have- to think carefully about were- they get their information and advice. The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning and following that there will be a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Covid-19 at 2.30 pm. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Coveney said: "We will act on the advice of the chief medical officer and his team, but I don’t think you are going to see any dramatic new decisions made today."

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has called on the public to trust the government and the HSE and to ignore rumours on social media. “We will make decisions based on public health advice, don’t pick up information from sources that are not reliable.” Mr, Coveney told Newstalk Breakfast that people are getting “information overload” and “we are living in extraordinary times.” “I will say this very bluntly to people this morning, be very careful where you get your information from. "Yesterday I got dozens of calls from people who thought that the country was going to move into lockdown at 11 o'clock this morning because of a totally irresponsible message that was put up initially on WhatsApp and spread across social media, so there are all sorts of rumours spreading all around. “These are people who are essentially playing on people's fears, trying to cause disruption and upset. “What I would say to people is trust your government here, trust government agencies, trust the HSE, we will get messages out across social media, but please ignore rumours.
(EDITOR’S Note): This SITE only uses Information which comes from reliable, tried and trusted news/media sources). 
Mr Coveney said the Government will make a decision regarding restaurants and cafés when it is ready rather than being pushed into it, and it will make the decision in an orderly manner. Mr Coveney said one of the challenges for the public is that there is "information overload".
He warned people to "be careful" where they obtain information from. These were extraordinary times, he said, and people have to think carefully about were they get their information and advice. The Health Service Executive is expecting a significant surge in the number of people tested this week as GPs can order Covid-19 tests electronically from today. Mr Coveney said the Government is in a position now to dramatically increase the number of tests provided and the HSE IS trying to facilitate that through GP service. He said the HSE is appealing to people not to contact their doctor for a test if they do not have symptoms, they want to keep phone lines clear for people with symptoms. Mr Coveney said everyone must work together - the State services and GPs cannot do this alone the public must also do their part.






On international air travel, Mr Coveney said he does not think there is any certainty beyond Thursday or Friday of this week in terms of where planes will and will and will not be flying, given the responses of individual countries right now. He said that those returning home from affected areas will be met by health officials that will give them advice. "For people coming from Italy or Spain where we have clear travel advice in terms of non- essential travel, they will be advised to restrict their movements. They'll get very clear advice when they land," Mr Coveney said. He said he thinks it is still safe to travel to the UK, but that people should be cautious when they travel anywhere. He said the Government is not planning to close airports or shut down flights between Ireland and the UK "despite what some people might have read on social media and on the back of false rumours". The Cabinet sub-committee on the coronavirus will meet for the third time this afternoon. Among the issues under consideration will be additional support facilities for healthcare staff and possible updates to travel and transport advice.

There were 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19 between Saturday and Sunday, which brought the total number of confirmed cases in Ireland to 169, and two people have died. Around 80% of cases of Covid-19 will be a mild to moderate illness, close to 14% have severe disease and around 6% are critical. Generally, you need to be 15 minutes or more in the vicinity of an infected person, within 1-2 metres, to be considered at-risk or a close contact. Irish holidaymakers who are currently in Spain, or the Balearic or Canary Islands, are being advised to travel home by midnight on Thursday. Cancelled flights have left a number of Irish tourists stranded on the Canary islands. Mr Coveney said Aer Lingus and Ryanair would operate flights to bring people home in the coming days. Yesterday, pubs and hotel bars around the country were asked to shut as part of the effort to slow down the spread of the virus. 

The president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland, Dr Catherine Motherway, said they are expecting a surge within the next "week to ten days". Dr Motherway, who is also a consultant anesthesiologist and intensive care doctor at University Hospital Limerick, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that staff are being retrained and redeployed, and are identifying areas that they can segregate Covid-19 patients from other hospital patients. When asked if there is enough respiratory equipment to deal with a potential surge, Dr Motherway said "you can never know that for a pandemic" and that additional equipment is being purchased. She said there will be staffing challenges in the weeks ahead, but everyone is trying to do their best. "Social distancing is really important", she said. "If we can reduce the surge, it will help us ensure that everybody gets adequate access to the healthcare they need." CEO of The Wheel, Ireland's national association of charities, community and voluntary organisations, Deirdre Garvey has said it is important to make sure services continue and are supported. Also speaking on Morning Ireland, she said many charities are not funded adequately to be able to provide the appropriate sick leave. "What has been put in place for HSE and State funded services is a special Covid-19 leave," she said. "In a survey we did on Thursday and Friday, 71% of our members told us that that is one of their most urgent needs.

In Europe more than 100 million people are living under lockdown to try to curb the pandemic, as Italy’s death toll rose by 368 in just 24 hours.


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus-hse-ramps-up-testing-as-covid-19-shutdown-intensifies-across-europe-1.4203961


"We need a regularisation of the system so that the Covid-19 leave conditions can be applied to the providers of all of Ireland's essential services, not just those provided through the state".

Additional reporting George Lee

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