Ms Orla Hegarty:

There has been a resistance to understanding how the virus transmits by aerosol. There has been a strong belief in some quarters that this is not how it transmits but the science now tells us otherwise. Second, there has been no joined-up thinking between the expert groups in that they operate independently and do not collaborate so people in different disciplines use different terminology and possibly have mistaken beliefs sometimes. I have come across people who assume that improving ventilation means that we put engineering and equipment into every building and that this is not feasible. That is not what this is about.

The word "ventilation" has been seen as another add-on beyond distancing, masks and hand washing instead of being seen as core to everything. Thinking of it as ventilation, it has not translated into "this is about how we use buildings." It is much more than ventilation. It is about how people move around in buildings, how many people are in the building, how long they stay for, whether they are wearing masks and whether they are more vulnerable. A targeted approach that picks out the really high-risk areas would be much more effective than a lockdown. It would involve an incremental approach involving prevention, particularly schools, childcare, nursing homes and indoor dining and hospitality, over the next few months while the weather is good.