Nursing homes body issues Covid-19 warning, 50s+ consumer event to continue

Paul Moynihan, director of services for corporate and international affairs at Cork City Council

Ireland’s only consumer event for older people is scheduled to go ahead this weekend, while visiting restrictions have been put in place in nursing homes across the country in a bid to contain coronavirus.

Event organisers of the 50 Plus Expo at Cork’s City Hall are taking “measures to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases”, a spokesperson said, and are “focusing in particular on good hygiene practices”.

Paul Moynihan, director of services for corporate and international affairs at Cork City Council, said organisers were acting on government advice not to cancel mass gatherings.

However, restrictions are in place at nursing homes nationwide with all non-essential visits, children, and groups banned. Nursing Homes Ireland announced the decision in a bid to protect residents as confirmed cases of Covid-19 more than doubled on Thursday, with the first case of community transmission confirmed in Cork.

Nursing Homes Ireland advised people to only visit residents in urgent circumstances and asked them to contact the nursing home before attending.

In a statement, Nursing Homes Ireland said: “The virus presents an unprecedented situation for our nursing homes and the care provided within them.

“We urge prospective visitors to nursing homes to be cognisant and understanding of the measure that is required in the interest of resident and staff safety.”

Dr Nuala O’Connor, a Cork GP and Irish College of General Practitioners spokesperson on Covid-19, has urged the elderly and those in contact with them to remain calm but vigilant.

She said it is “prudent that as the weeks progress and it transpires that we do have a lot more coronavirus circulating in the community, then elderly people need to stay away from groups of people — things like Mass”.

Dr O’Connor advised anyone with symptoms of a respiratory tract infection — such as a fever, cough, cold or shortness of breath — irrespective of whether they think they have coronavirus or not — to stay away from elderly relatives and friends.

Useful information
• The HSE have developed an information pack on how to protect yourself and others from coronavirus. Read it here
• Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus who has been in close contact with a confirmed case in the last 14 days should isolate themselves from other people - this means going into a different, well-ventilated room alone, with a phone; phone their GP, or emergency department - if this is not possible, phone 112 or 999 and in a medical emergency (if you have severe symptoms) phone 112 or 999