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LAST UPDATE | 16 Feb 2022
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS will meet tomorrow to discuss “the most appropriate use of testing going forward” as well as the rules relating to self-isolation and restricted movements, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told his parliamentary party in correspondence today.
Writing to party members ahead of tonight’s party meeting, which he cannot attend as he is in France attending an EU Trade Ministers meeting, he said the Covid situation remains “stable”.
The Journal reported yesterday that it is expected that face-mask wearing is likely to become optional shortly in areas such as shops and on public transport.
Face-mask wearing for children is also set to be lifted possibly as early as next week.
There are some political indications that there will be a further scaling back of testing in the weeks ahead.
Members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Monday night ahead of their meeting tomorrow.
Health officials are understood to have been positive about the progress made against Covid-19 during the briefing, paving the way for the lifting of remaining Covid restrictions.
There was no suggestion that anything would hinder the move for mask-wearing to become a guidance rather than a legal mandate in a matter of weeks.
Ahead of tomorrow’s NPHET meeting, officials are understood to have briefed Government this morning that the path is now clear to lift restrictions around mask wearing, making it guidance only.
Speaking at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Dr Tony Holohan is considering masks wearing presently.
He said the health experts may draw a distinction between mandatory mask wearing by law and public health advice generally.
In a letter to his party members, Leo Varadkar said “Covid cases are falling as are the numbers in hospital and ICU albeit slowly”.
He said Government decisions may be needed in the run up to 28 February on issues such has mask wearing, testing and isolation rules.
Cost of living
The Tánaiste also defended the Government’s cost of living package stating that it gives €500 million back to people and is a substantial intervention by Government.
“Rather than opting for more increases which could have fuelled inflation further, which the opposition parties advocated for, we focused on reducing costs and cutting people’s bills,” he said, stating that all households will receive a €200 deduction from their electricity bill in March or April (depending on when they get their bill).
People in receipt of fuel allowance will receive a cash payment of €125 early next month from the Department of Social Protection. “This is a targeted measure for those most in need,” he added.
Varadkar said that his party members had lots of ideas on how to reduce the cost of living such as reducing hospital charges, reducing student fees and lowering childcare costs.
Childcare and early education is a priority for the Government :given the beneficial impact it has on gender and socio-economic equality, the labour market and family finances”, he said.
However, he said these should be considered in the context of the next Budget which he adds is less than eight months away.
He warns his party that it is essential that Government stick to their fiscal targets and meet our deficit reduction target for 2022.
“Failure to do so would mean less money available for our priorities in 2023 and 2024 and we don’t want to allow that to happen. We have been able to borrow very cheaply as a Government for years now but it clear that the cost of borrowing for Governments is likely to rise in the coming years and this could result in the cost of servicing our national debt rising too. If that happens, we have to find more money just to stand still. So, we need to be prepared for that and we will be,” he states.
‘One-upmanship’
The issue of the announcement of the Sports Capital Grants is something the Fine Gael leader has taken issue with.
He claims that the information relating to sports grants “was given in advance to some Government Deputies and Councillors ahead of those in Fine Gael”.
“This should not happen. I raised this at the Party Leaders Meeting on Monday night. It’s important that TDs and Senators from all three parties should get information at the same time. There is little to be gained from one-upmanship for any party in the long term,” he said.
Varadkar also touched on the issue of roads – which has been a bone of contention between Fine Gael backbenchers and the Green Party recently. A number of rural TDs have questioned why road projects in their area have not received funding for this year.
The Tánaiste said he has received a report he requested on the national road projects that did not receive funding this year, telling his party members that he is “continuing to engage on this at leader level”.
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I used to remember a time before Covid where people who had been healthy and they would spend a few days in bed with the flu. Remember going to the doctor in winter time and the waiting room would be packed. The wheezing, coughing, sneezing, blowing noses….. wow how far we’ve come. Kids with tonsillitis, can’t be seen till they have a negative test… In agony for 2 days before getting the medicine that they need.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: Yes Diarmuid, there is now a hierarchy of illness. God be with the days when people stood on street corners collecting money for Conquer Cancer or their local hospice or maybe children’s hospitals. The most important thing now is to see if you have an infection that affects most of the bearers or the people they interact with little or no consequence.
The general medical praction service has done a huge disservice throughout this to the people they are honor bound to care for.
@Gavin Linden: Our GP prescribed over the phone. No need to wait.
How do you scale back testing? If someone shows symptoms, they get tested. Only way of scaling back is when people don’t show symptoms
@Joe_X: Just treat it like you would with flu, ignore it and go on with your business!
@DK: you’ve not had flu if you think you can ignore it and go about your business. More like take to bed for a few days then go on about your business
@NotMyIreland: Thats only men we women just get on with it:)
@Franny Ando: bit s exist…call the PC Police!!!
@DK: except it’s not flu and secondly, if you really had the flu, the last thing you would be able to do is ignore it. All those times you thought you had flu, just a head cold. That attitude is the real reason why the country was under restriction for so long…people just ” ignored” it!
@NotMyIreland: flu is like covid. It effects everyone differently. Either that or I have gone through my whole life, nearly 50 years, without catching a flu. Which i doubt.
@Joe_X: symptoms of what?
@OConnelj: Absolutely, having a cold never bothered me. If you’ve ever had ‘the flu’ you’d definitely know about it. Had it one time and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Had to have the doctor call to me twice. It’s bordering on pneumonia. I missed my sisters wedding and was in bed for about 10 days.
@Joe_X: how many times have you felt the need to be tested or indeed were tested or a cold or flu.? Or did you just self diagnose rest of for a few days do what can to avoid spreading it and get back to normal life?
@Franny Ando: No one just gets on with the flu. Influenza causes severe illness.
@Inno Items: covid can kill some people and other people just get in with it. Same with the flu.
@OConnelj: *on
@Hear me now: I’m sure somebody will:):)
@Inno Items: Yes they do. As with every illness it affects everyone differently.
@OConnelj: Covid and Influenza cannot be compared. With Influenza there are always symptoms and the least they do is to put one in bed for a week. If someone just gets on with it they mix it up with the common cold. A completely different virus. Corona can come without symptoms.
@Inno Items: https://hhma.org/can-the-flu-be-asymptomatic/
@Damo: well seeing as the article is about CoViD-19, what do you think? Measles?
@Rmaybe: no. If I ever showed symptoms, I got myself tested. Never tested positive though. Better safe than sorry. In answer to your question, between various reasons, I’ve bee tested 8 times. Any body who tries self-daignosing, is an eejit
@OConnelj: actually it is very possible you did go through your whole life without catching the influenza virus. For Example in the 2018/19 flu season there were 7,943 cases of the flu reported – that is a whole years worth of true flu cases about half of which are lab confirmed. The HSE do flu reports just like covid reports and that year there were 97 flu deaths. Flu is actually not that common but you can decide for yourself by reading the old reports https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/surveillance/influenzasurveillancereports/ also in passing there were more covid cases and deaths reported this week than flu cases and deaths during the entire 52 weeks of the 2018/19 fly season
@DK: you are telling people to spread this virus to the vulnerable who could end up in hospital or die. Nice one!
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: possibly. but equally I may have had the flu and not known about it.
@Joe_X: you’ve been tested for a cold or flu 8 times ? Both are a virus and must run their course. Unless you have a chronic illness that requires a definitve diagnosis of other infections testing is pointless. There is generally no treatment other than rest and fluids and allow it to run it’s course. Perhaps an anti viral in extreme cases but that’s when someone is so sick they are hospitalised. Most people do not get hospitalised with flu. Unless they are vulnerable in some other way. I’ve had plenty of colds over the years and flu once or twice. I’ve never felt the need to go running for a test or even clog up a GP surgery even when it was free to be diagnosed with a cold or flu. Except when symptoms persisted beyond 10 days which is normal medical advice which usually indicates secondary bacterial infection which can then be treated with anti biotics
But what about the great reset and stuff?
@Tommy Berry: you will own nothing and you will be happy.
But what about the great reset and blah blah?
He’s only changing isolation requirements because they’re mad to have people in work, the likes of the Supermacs lad in their ear moanin coz their underpaid staff aren’t coming back. So now they don’t want people out sick. There’s no other reason to change isolation requirements, nothing has changed with the virus. Any change on isolation has nothing to do with science.
@Rob Gale: so fallen numbers in ICU and hospital combined with high uptake of the vaccine and a weakened virus has nothing to do with science?
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