Ms Orla Hegarty:

Some countries have scientific review boards that are multidisciplinary. That would make a considerable difference. Obviously the focus of NPHET is on hospital buildings and on mitigating risk there. Hospitals are only 86 of our 2.5 million buildings. The focus in hospitals is different to the focus on what is happening in the community. It is also important to note that hospital buildings generally, particularly the newer buildings, are built to a very high standard of ventilation.

Even within that, we do not have rules within the hospital sector that will protect staff in terms of higher quality personal protective equipment, PPE, for those staff still working behind Perspex screens in some places without masks. Again, that is not a protection. A suite of measures are needed, especially within sectors. There needs to be consistency and the measures should be based on scientific principles rather than what is convenient in a given sector.