Suspension of contact tracers in October was 'difficult call' but had to be done, says HSE chief

The plan to tackle the contact tracing backlog included deploying environmental health officers and military cadets, above, some of whom had begun contact tracing last March. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

HSE boss Paul Reid said a decision to suspend contact tracing for hundreds of Covid-19 close contacts had been a “difficult call” but one they “had to make”.

Mr Reid was responding to a request for a briefing from the office of the Taoiseach who said while they understood why the suspension was needed, they were likely to face criticism.