Mask wearing in hospitals should remain as covid 'hasn't gone away' 

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha. Picture: Andy Gibson.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have warned the mask mandate for hospitals should stay in place as covid "hasn't gone away", with 19 patients currently in ICU nationwide due to the virus.

The universal use of masks in hospitals is set to end on Wednesday, April 19 for patients, staff and visitors. 

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha has said they "are really concerned about the announcement that the mask mandate is going to be lifted next week." 

"[Covid] hasn't gone away," she told RTÉ radio. "If you had a perfect hospital system that had single rooms and everybody was being cared for in isolation, that's fine to make these types of infection prevention and control announcements. 

"But when you have an overcrowded environment with overcrowded wards, overcrowded EDS, this is absolutely the wrong move right now."  

Ms Ní Sheaghda explained that in a statement from the HSE, it said patients in multi-bed wards should be offered masks if others are symptomatic. 

She said: “So in other words they're saying it's up to the patient. No patient in hospital is going to know whether somebody else is symptomatic. 

"That is the responsibility of the health care provider in our view. And we don't want nurses put in a position where they're saying to one patient, well, look, that patient over there has a cough, so you should be really wearing a mask. It's absolutely nonsensical.

“We believe that we've always been critical of the information that the HSE have provided in respect of infection control and cross-infection in hospitals. 

"Unfortunately, we know that many people are getting covid and getting other transmissible conditions in the hospital by virtue of just simply being in hospital because of the environment, because of the air, because of the overcrowding.”

This comes just as Cork's Mercy University Hospital has said it will be introducing visiting restrictions due to a surge in covid-19 cases, urging members of the public to find alternative care services. Visitors are advised to only visit between 6pm and 8pm and only if symptom free.

Meanwhile, 584 patients are waiting for beds in hospitals across the country, this has reduced by nine people since Wednesday. Eight of those waiting on trolleys are under the age of sixteen. 

In Cork, 122 patients are waiting on trolleys, with 88 in Cork University Hospital, 28 in Mercy University Hospital and six in Bantry General Hospital.