Coronavirus: Harris says ‘more stringent’ checks may be needed at airports as crisis teams sent to nursing homes
National emergency team will review measures taken to tackle nursing home outbreaks at Friday meeting
Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 08:44 Updated: about 19 hours ago
Vivienne Clarke, Paul Cullen
Minister for Health Simon Harris has said there may be a need for “more stringest” checks at Irish airports as crisis teams are being sent into nursing homes to deal with coronavirus outbreaks.
Mr Harris said there may be a need for more stringent checks at airports “to make sure that while we’re all doing what we’re meant to be doing here, we don’t have other people coming in who aren’t taking it as seriously in their country as we are here,” he told the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk.
His comments come after concerns were raised about a Ryanair flight carrying almost 200 fruit pickers into the country this week with allegedly no social distancing measures on board.
A letter addressed to a Meath councillor, purporting to be from a Ryanair employee, said the chartered flight from Sofia on Monday had 189 passengers.
“There was no social distancing on board, putting all the cabin crew at risk, there was also 200 bags in the hold of the aircraft putting the ground handling agents at risk,” the letter claimed.
Nursing homes
Seperately, Mr Harris said 18 Covid-19 response teams, including doctors and nurses, are to be deployed to nursing homes around the country, with 61 HSE staff already deployed.
Mr Harris told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland every union has worked with the HSE to agree their members will be redeployed – and this will include doctors and crisis management teams.
“We are making good progress as a country but we need to redouble our efforts with regards to nursing homes and residential care centres.”
The National Public Health Emergency Team will on Friday review measures taken to tackle the large number of outbreaks that have occurred in nursing homes and other institutional settings so far.
There have been 254 outbreaks in residential settings, of which 163 were in nursing homes.
Some 302 of the deaths so far have occurred in residential settings – including 253 in nursing homes.
The Minister said a number of measures will be taken on Friday, including an increase in extra testing, which will include testing asymptomatic people.
“The day you believe you have done enough is the day you lose the battle against this deadly virus.
“We cannot save everyone, but we will make sure nobody is left behind.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus-harris-says-more-stringent-checks-may-be-needed-at-airports-as-crisis-teams-sent-to-nursing-homes-1.4231333
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