Fine Gael's Colm Burke ‘entitled’ to flag fears about contradictory advice

Fine Gael TD Colm Burke said it is even more important that this issue is dealt with urgently after details of a ‘super-spreader’ event emerged. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A government TD says he is entitled to flag concerns about contradictory public health advice being issued to people arriving in Ireland after critics said it is up to him and his party to ensure such problems do not arise in the first place.

Fine Gael’s health spokesperson Colm Burke said he has as much right as any opposition TD to publicly flag concerns about the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. And he said it is even more important that this issue is dealt with urgently after details of a ‘super-spreader’ event emerged.

Public health experts in the mid-west said a man who failed to self-isolate after returning to Ireland infected at least 56 people in 10 households and on a sports team with coronavirus.

Mr Burke said he has now been made aware of “confusing and contradictory” information in text messages which are being sent to the mobile phones of people arriving into Ireland.

The messages wrongly imply that those people can use public transport or visit public places, when in fact they should be restricting their movements for 14 days.

He said he has yet to establish who is responsible for sending the texts after the HSE said it was not a matter for them. He said the HSE and the Department of Health need to get to the bottom of it and resolve it urgently.

“This issue was brought to my attention. Am I going do the usual backbench stuff and write letters, and keep my mouth shut? Mr Burke said.

“I’m not prepared to do that. 

I’ve written to the HSE but I’m not going to wait around for a government department to take action. I’m not sitting back, and I’m not prepared to plamás a minister

“My job is to keep everyone on their toes, and the general public’s job is to keep me on my toes.” 

But Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould said Mr Burke needs reminding about who’s in government.

“Fine Gael have been in Government for the duration of this pandemic," Mr Gould said. 

"It would serve Deputy Burke and his colleagues well to remember this and focus on rectifying their own mistakes, not attempting to deflect and shift blame," he said.