Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to once again update the House on the Covid-19 disease and our ongoing national response and effort to it.

First, and most importantly, as I do every week I wish to express my sympathy to the family and friends of those who have been lost to this disease since I was last in the House. We should always be conscious of them as we talk about progress, statistics and numbers. Behind statistics and numbers are real people who are grieving and feeling an immense sense of loss. Our thoughts are with all of those who have been bereaved. I hope that as we work to move through the next phases of this journey and try to resume some sense of normality, even if it is a new normal, we will have an opportunity as a country to find a way to remember those who have passed away from this virus.

It is hard to believe, but it has been three months since I first addressed this House on Covid-19, and while the world around us has changed, the threat of the virus remains the same. My ask, in many ways, is the same as it was on 19 March. We need people to continue to wash their hands regularly and properly, keep up cough and respiratory etiquette, dispose of tissues, and indeed, limit social activity. Even though people, thankfully, can now move around and see each other more, we still need to be responsible in terms of trying to minimise our social activity and keep our close contacts as low as we can.

This week, I have an additional ask with regard to the wearing of non-medical face coverings. It is a matter we have discussed in this House on a number of occasions, and there have been many different views and different debates that have, in many ways, created a lot of noise which has perhaps interfered with the clear communication of the message. The very clear public health advice is that we are asking people to wear face coverings when they use public transport, in indoor public areas, including retail outlets, when they are visiting the homes of those who are cocooning or are being visited in their homes by those who are cocooning, when they are visiting a residential care facility, or in any environment where it is not possible to maintain one's social distance. Let us be honest, this can feel difficult, odd and peculiar. It is a strange thing to do in this country. Culturally, we are not used to wearing face coverings in a way people in some other countries are, but we need to get used to it. Just as we pick up our keys, our mobile phone and our wallet and put them in our pocket, we need to pick up our face covering, stick it in a bag in our pocket and have it with us. It is a habit and a behavioural change we need to get used to, because it is necessary. It will not protect someone from Covid-19 in the sense of a magic shield, but it will help protect those around them. This virus is transmitted through droplets, and the face covering makes it harder for the droplets to leave one person and reach another. Let us remember, as we all do, that a person can feel well and be well and still have the virus. It is imperative, therefore, that we protect each other from the spread of Covid-19 and face coverings help in this regard. They are an additional hygiene measure. I urge everybody in this House to help spread that word and encourage people to wear them when they can.

I have a second request today. In general, people in this country are really good at going to work when they feel unwell. Culturally, we get up in the morning with what we perceive as a sniffle, a headache or a bit of a cough, take a glass of water and two paracetamol and go about our work. We are proud of our work ethic, but if one is sick, one needs to stay at home. One should not take paracetamol to suppress how one feels in terms of one's symptoms and then go to work. We are now seeing a trend where the number of clusters in private households is beginning to increase, and there is some concern this is from people putting off seeking help for their symptoms in the hope they feel better.

That is something we normally do, but we cannot do it during a pandemic. My appeal to anybody who is feeling under the weather or showing any of the symptoms, which are well known to us all at this stage, is to please stay at home. I ask them to self-isolate within their homes immediately, phone their GPs and seek their assistance. That is a crucial thing to get good at if we are to try to continue to suppress this virus.

I now want to update the House, as I always endeavour to do each week, on the latest modelling work on the reproductive rate of the virus. It is very important to note that we now have a very small numbers of cases. Thankfully, the average number of cases has been nearly constant for the last two weeks. Thankfully, the number of people in and admitted to hospital and ICUs and the number of deaths continue to decrease. I have been informed by Professor Philip Nolan, the chair of the modelling group, that the reproduction number remains below 1 and is estimated at 0.7. This is good news. Despite the fact that we are reopening, the number still remains below 1. As long as it does so, we are continuing to suppress and reduce the prevalence of the virus. Professor Nolan would also make a point which I wish to make to this House, namely, that the smaller the number of cases of the virus, the more difficult it is to estimate the reproduction number. While we are satisfied that it is less than 1 and estimate it at 0.7, the need to remain vigilant and careful not to catch or transmit the virus remains as we go about our daily business. More modelling updates will be given on Thursday, as Members are aware.

As colleagues know, we are now in the second phase of our reopening. This week the remainder of our retail outlets were able to welcome their customers back. The shopping experience is not going to be the same as it was before but, thanks to the incredible work of businesses across this country, it will be a safer experience. I have seen people go to huge lengths to reopen their businesses in a safe manner. As colleagues will be aware, tomorrow the National Public Health Emergency Team, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, will meet to examine the next steps, monitor the virus and advise the Government on how to condense or merge the remaining three phases of our roadmap into two phases. This has already been flagged by the National Public Health Emergency Team at previous meetings. I hope to be in a position to bring its recommendations and views to the Cabinet on Friday of this week.

This week also saw the reopening of nursing homes to visitors. I want to take this opportunity to thank nursing homeowners, staff and residents, who have been working to adapt to this reality. I am conscious of how lonely people have been in recent weeks and months. The doors of nursing homes have been closed for many months. While our new visiting regime is gradual and slow, as it must be, it should be a relief to us all that loved ones now have the opportunity to spend time their relatives and friends.

I am very pleased to inform the House that the number of clusters in nursing homes is thankfully significantly decreasing. This week's figures show that there were 256 clusters of Covid-19 in nursing homes. Of those, 174 have now closed. That means 174 nursing homes that were deemed to have had clusters of Covid-19 have now been Covid-19-free for 28 days or more. A significant amount of work is required for a facility to reach that point. It is welcome news and a sign of progress.

Deputies have rightly been seeking the resumption of overall health services and I am pleased to say that the HSE is finalising plans to re-establish vital non-Covid-19 supports and services. As I advised the House last week, I expect the HSE to provide an update in the coming days. I want to refer to two specific elements of this planning work that I know are of particular concern to Members. I share their concern. The planning in question involves very careful and detailed work on the part of the disability sector. Community healthcare organisations and section 38 and section 39 agencies continue to work together at a regional level in order to plan and co-ordinate efforts. Considering the very serious nature of the pandemic and the vulnerability of people with disabilities as a care group, any plans to safely commence all disability services and supports must comply with guidance developed by the national public surveillance centre in the HSE. However, I am pleased to report that the HSE has now developed a number of important guidance documents to assist disability services, including the Framework for the Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services and Reshaping Disability Services from 2020 and beyond in line with Covid-19 restrictions. We all know from our constituency offices and our own lives that this is really necessary.

I wish to particularly focus on adults with disabilities. We have put a summer programme for children with disabilities in place. Adults with disabilities often have not had access to any service for several months. This is taking a real human toll. It is absolutely necessary for many families around the country that these services are opened safely. I expect progress in this regard by the end of the month. The publication of the Framework for the Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services is an important step in the process.

I am also pleased to inform the House that work relating to the resumption of our four screening programmes is on track. As I advised previously, the four screening programmes are now finalising their plans for a phased reintroduction of screening. It remains the case that management expects to be able to give restart dates for each of the four programmes at the end of this month.

The mental well-being of our people is often discussed in this House but it has been a particular focus in the context of the pandemic. I am very pleased to confirm the refreshed A Vision for Change policy has been launched today by my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Jim Daly, and is available on the Department's website. I will be happy to provide a briefing on that for any Member of this House. Importantly, Sharing the Vision, as it is called, includes an implementation roadmap. Let me be clear; as we hopefully edge towards a new Government, implementation will be the key concern. The policy allocates ownership of recommendations to lead agencies and sets time-bound implementation targets against the actions relating to each recommendation. Who must do what by when is made very clear. Yesterday, we also helped launch a new text line for young people facing mental health issues. Members should save the number, 50808, in their phones. It is a 24-7 service that is free, inclusive, anonymous and there for anybody who wants assistance or support. Both of these measures come at a time when our world is rapidly changing, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many of us have found the lockdown difficult. Many of us have felt lonely and isolated. Many people have had to battle problems like addiction behind closed doors. The lockdown has been tough for everyone, but for some sections of society it has been tougher. Some of us have found the reopening of society hard too. I hope this Oireachtas and the new Government will ensure that we confront the challenges Covid-19 has brought upon us, including those related to mental health. I hope we work together to help people in the same way we worked together to confront this pandemic.

While I am happy to report that we are making progress we must not forget this virus is still among us. Complacency is now a major risk. The future behaviour of the virus is dependent on our actions. Thankfully, the data show that the level of the disease is remaining stable. This is due to the incredible efforts of people in this country. We now need to keep the disease pushed back while we continue to reopen our society and our economy.

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