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Covid’s 15-minute rapid tests and new rules on ventilation of interior spaces are key elements of a new government plan to allow the country to reopen in the coming weeks, reveals a confidential Cabinet memorandum.
The document, prepared for the ministers, establishes that in addition to the launch of the vaccine, the use of antigen tests and adequate ventilation are part of the efforts to “help the sustainable reopening of the country.”
The memorandum states that:
- A plan regarding the “optimal deployment” of antigen tests will be prepared for the Cabinet in mid-March;
- At the end of March, a plan will be prepared on the adequate ventilation of the facilities to allow people to return to work;
- This month an improvement in track and trace will also be prioritized.
Sources say antigen testing is considered a “crucial tool” to allow larger companies to test their staff, but is not seen as a replacement for the PCR test, which is currently used by HSE.
The HSE has been looking for new, easier, and faster ways to test people for Covid-19, and trials on 15-minute rapid antigen tests have proven successful.
Sources familiar with the plan said work is underway to allow the April 5 restriction review to be “as ambitious as possible.”
“This is all part of the desire to allow the country to reopen in a sustainable way,” said a source. “More monitoring, more and faster testing, and clarity on how indoor spaces should be ventilated are all steps in the right direction.”
Regarding ventilation, government sources said this is not primarily focused on allowing the indoor dining room to return, but “is in the mix.”
The news comes when it was confirmed that there have been six more deaths related to the coronavirus and 612 new cases of the disease. This weekend marks a year since the first case of the virus was identified in Ireland and although the country is scheduled for at least another month of level 5 lockdown, health officials say there is reason to be hopeful.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said the country has seen a weekly decline in cases for each of the past six weeks, and hospitalizations continue to decline as well.
Professor Philip Nolan, who chairs the Nphet modeling group, said he anticipates a “progressive easing of restrictions” from April or May, while HSE Clinical Director Dr. Colm Henry said: “There is much more hope than despair when looking at the evidence for vaccines in the real world. “
Meanwhile, the British government faces calls for the urgent introduction of stricter border measures after officials said they were searching for a person believed to be one of six people infected with the highly communicable variant of the Brazilian coronavirus in the UK.
Three cases of the variant have been detected in England and three in Scotland. The P1 variant, also known as the B1128 variant, shares some of the same mutations as the highly transmissible South African variant and was first identified in Manaus, Brazil, in January. It is believed that it could respond worse to current vaccines.
The Minister of Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, will announce today that the number of waiting days for the standard payment of sickness benefit will be reduced from six to three.
This will mean that the payment will now be paid from the fourth day of illness, at a cost of 32.6 million euros to the treasury.
Sickness benefit is a short-term payment available to employees who contribute to the PRSI system.
Since January 2014, payment of sickness benefit started from the seventh day of sickness and no payment was made during the first six days, known as waiting days.
Last year, the Department of Social Protection received 200,000 applications for sickness benefits, and each of those employees had to give up six days of waiting.
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