Dr. David Nabarro:

A decision on something like this has to be made by the national Government. What I will do is tell the Deputy what I would be thinking about if I was in this situation. The reality is that we are still uncertain as to how many people with Covid are without symptoms. We are also seeing people who are able to transmit the virus before they have those symptoms. My approach, particularly in healthcare settings, would be quite liberal with regard to testing for staff and patients - whether they are inpatients or outpatients - because I would not wish for there to be an opportunity for the disease to start spreading in hospitals. I also want to do everything possible to encourage the creation of facilities that can deal with non-Covid care. It is important to make sure that Covid does not get into those if possible.