Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the Deputy's view that it is very heartwarming to see nursing homes able to begin to open to visitors again. I would make the point, which I am sure he will agree with, that they need to do so in a cautious manner and that nobody here is putting pressure on a nursing home to open until its management believes it safe to do so. A nursing home's first duty of care is to the residents for whom it is their home. The process requires a lot of vigilance and a huge amount of work has been undertaken by nursing homes to arrive at this point. I am glad to hear that the three homes in Boyle are doing well. I think I met Deputy Feighan's mum in the Plunkett home when I visited him and I am pleased to hear she is doing well. It was lovely to visit that facility with the Deputy.

In regard to soccer and GAA, the virus, unfortunately, does not care about anybody's favourite sport. It is very infectious and can spread quickly. The lower we can get the incidence of the virus in the country, the weaker we can make it and the more options it gives us in terms of being able to go about normal life again. We are making good progress in this regard. Any measures we bring in are done on public health grounds but there has to be common sense to them as well. The HPSC provides advice to sectors, Departments and agencies and interacts with them to come up with a safe and common sense way of trying to resume services. All of that is kept under review.

In regard to the national cardiac review, I know this is a very important issue in Sligo and the north west. I visited Sligo University Hospital with the Deputy and we discussed this matter. I need to check where that review is at but I am conscious that it is chaired by Professor Philip Nolan who is also chair of the epidemiological advisory modelling group and a member of the NPHET. We have been keeping him very busy. I an eager for the national cardiac review to be progressed and very eager for a new Government to get on with progressing the cardiac services the people in Sligo and the north west need.

I suggest, in the interests of time, that I might write to the Deputy regarding the antibody tests. I am sure he is very pleased that Sligo is one of the two counties being used for testing. The idea is to randomly choose a certain number of people in order to detect the level of antibodies that may exist among our population.

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