Workplaces remain problem areas in mid-west outbreaks

Wed, 09 Jun, 2021 - 17:14

Ryan O’Rourke

Workplaces remain problem areas for the spread of Covid-19 cases in the mid-west, health officials have warned.

The Department of Public Health Mid-West continues to investigate Covid-19 situations in 37 workplaces, involving more than 10 outbreaks, 128 cases, and an estimated 270 close contacts.

The vast majority of these are in Limerick.

In response to this, the department, working alongside Limerick City and County Council, released the Safe Work Stops Covid information booklet, which can be found on the council’s website.

The booklet gives a number of examples of how large workplace outbreaks begin, and what employers can do to prevent them.

It details how staff at one workplace were masked at all times until they took the masks off during a short boardroom meeting.

One person was presymptomatic, meaning they had no symptoms, but developed them later, and it resulted in everyone in the room becoming infected.

In another workplace outbreak, staff working in a kitchen were infected despite the fact they were socially distanced.

According to the department, they were not wearing masks in a poorly ventilated space with a pedestal fan.

The poor ventilation and use of a fan were “major contributing factors” in this situation.

A third case detailed how in one workplace, one infected member of staff was not wearing a mask behind a plexiglass screen.

Though mask-wearing customers were more protected, all staff behind the screen were identified as close contacts.

The department gave a number of points of advice, which are centred around areas of safety such as the importance of wearing masks at work, ventilation, social contact and activity, policy and management.

The release of the booklet comes amid a dramatic rise in cases in the Mid-West region.

As of Tuesday, there were 858 new cases in Limerick, 65 in Clare, and 40 in North Tipperary.

Mid-West sees sharp rise in workplace Covid-19 cases