Dr. Tony Holohan:

On workers, we have done a lot of work with other Departments and the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, will be before the committee in the afternoon to provide an update on that work to ensure our public health advice is incorporated into the work that it does and support of and oversight of work and workplaces.

Any decision on testing and its role in a particular occupational setting will be taken on a public health assessment at a point in time if that is something that is valuable and worth doing. It will not necessarily be the case that particular occupational groups will be subject to a sweep of testing unless there is a public health rationale, and that might arise. That will be assessed on an ongoing basis over the course of the disease.

On healthcare workers, we have had a challenge. We have been honest and open about that. The figure is slightly over 30% - it is 31.5% as of yesterday - which is a high percentage. It should be borne in mind that we have prioritised healthcare workers for testing and, unlike many countries, we have completed a significant testing programme in residential care facilities. The staff in those settings were both tested and identified as positives and will be part of that figure. We have been proactive on this but there is no question that it has been a challenge. It reflects the fact that healthcare workers are in the front line. They are at risk of picking up this infection by virtue of the work they do. There is also the challenge that healthcare workers, when they are infected, are a source of potential infection both for the people they serve and the communities in which they live and are part of. That is a particular challenge and continuing cause for concern to address that. There has been a substantial fall in the rate of infection among healthcare workers so while the number is high, the incidence has been dropping significantly in recent weeks.