Emergency Covid-19 legislation to expire on Thursday

In response to the high number of cases in Ireland, the INMO and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine have called for mask-wearing and working from home to be re-introduced. Picture: Denis Minihane

Emergency legislation underpinning the government’s fight against Covid-19 is set to expire on Thursday despite the World Health Organization (WHO) saying the virus is still “an acute global emergency”.

In response to the high number of cases in Ireland, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine have called for mask-wearing and working from home to be re-introduced.

They warned of “very serious patient risks” and “very significant risks for medical and nursing staff”.

In a joint statement, the unions said staff are exhausted and are “dealing with wave-upon-wave of patients diagnosed with Covid and the other drivers of increased attendances”.

This includes increased paediatric admissions, they said.

The Health and Criminal Justice Bill was amended in December to guarantee protections including mask-wearing, isolation when symptomatic, and social distancing. It included the possibility of one further extension for a maximum of three months.

“It is the legislation that will be behind us, not the pandemic,” said the Irish Patient Association’s Stephen McMahon.

“Has the Government adopted a strategy of herd immunity?"

We are not advocating a return to major lockdown, what we are looking for is transparency and honesty, as has been the practice, to see where even in little ways patient safety is protected. 

Hospitals remain under pressure with 1,610 Covid patients today including 49 in ICUs. There were three children in ICUs with coronavirus as yesterday.

Visiting restrictions remain at Cork University Hospital due to a surge in Covid cases, a spokeswoman said. There were 108 patients with the virus and 15 in the Mercy.

Restrictions also continue across the UL hospital group with 92 Covid patients in University Hospital Limerick.

A further 5,381 cases have been confirmed with PCR tests and 7,127 through antigen tests giving a total of 12,508 in 24 hours.

Note of caution

Meanwhile, the WHO published a strategic plan for 2022 in which it said: "The COVID-19 pandemic remains an acute global emergency.”
At a press briefing, Dr Mike Ryan, the Irishman heading up the WHO’s emergency response, said: “I caution governments to be very careful and lift restrictions slowly, gradually, step by step in accordance with the capacity of their health system.”