Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for the evidence they have given to the committee. Right now in Ireland, the trend is going in the wrong direction. It is true the number of tests is increasing, and perhaps that is why the number of cases is increasing, but the number of deaths is not appreciably increasing. That tends to suggest the numbers now testing positive are in the lower age cohort, which appears to be the case based on the wider evidence too. What should we do now? What is the single most important step we should take to reverse the trend without going into lockdown? I presume it is an increased emphasis on social distancing, which is a weakness in the system at present, and there may be others.

My second question relates to South Korea. What does it have that we do not? Are its ambient conditions, for instance, similar to those in Ireland? Does it have the same level and frequency of air travel that we have, such as between Dublin and London, which is the busiest air route in the world? What does Finland have that we do not? What has it done that seems to be working better than what has been done here?

I turn to the issue of nursing homes, meat plants and workplaces of that nature. The infections come from outside nursing homes; they do not originate inside them. The main issues relate to transport to and from the centres, staff and whatever else that may be a contributory factor. What, in the opinions of our expert witnesses, would be the correct action to take to prevent infections in those settings?

Finally, I turn to saliva testing. I happen to suffer from a sinus condition and shudder at the thought of anything that might induce a nosebleed or something like that. Saliva testing of children has been suggested as a possible means of increasing the alacrity with which the public might become involved in testing.