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The government is increasingly confident that phase one of easing the restrictions will continue on Monday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Dáil.
He said the virus “is a retreating fire. We must put out every spark and kill every ember.”
He said that the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) would meet today and that the Cabinet would make a decision tomorrow after receiving its advice.
Speaking at the Dáil during a debate on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said: “We are still in phase zero. By the time we assume that progress is inevitable, we risk going backwards.”
He said the government wanted the economy to “buzz.” The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) would work cooperatively with companies to put them into operation, but “will close workplaces if necessary.”
The Taoiseach also said that while face shields, visors and sneeze shields had a role to play, they were not a substitute for any of the public health measures such as hand washing, social distancing, correct cough protocols and sneezing and self-isolation when necessary.
Nphet is expected to recommend the recommendation, but not mandatory, to use face covers on public transportation and in stores starting next week.
Concern over a growing number of Covid-19 groups in meat-processing plants increased in the Dáil, and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin described the situation as “seriously serious”.
Martin said “there has been a significant lack of transparency on this issue.”
Rise TD Paul Murphy told the Dáil that 200 complaints had been filed for violations of Covid-19 guidelines in the workplace, including meat plants, but the HSA had not conducted inspections.
Last week, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) reported 10 outbreaks of Covid-19 at meat processing plants with 566 infected employees.
Siptu union organizer Greg Ennis said Thursday that the number of confirmed cases in meat processing plans in the Republic has now exceeded 600.
School talks
Meanwhile, discussions continue about plans to reopen schools in September, with school principals and teachers saying that elementary schools would need to gradually reopen with smaller classes and students attending on certain days of the week.
The National Teachers’ Organization of Ireland (INTO) told the Department of Education that not all children in a class could attend school every day due to social distancing rules and that distance learning would have to continue.
Teachers cannot be expected to provide distance learning and teaching for students at home after or alongside the instruction of students attending school.
The union document was presented as part of the department’s consultation process on the planned reopening in September.
While the data was encouraging, Professor Butler told RTÉ radio Morning Ireland “We are on a learning curve.”
A first look at the rate of children infected with the virus appeared to be not as prone to infection as adults, he said, but there could be more children infected without experiencing symptoms.
“We won’t know until we do the antibody test, that will give us better management.”
There could be practical reasons why children do not become infected as easily as adults, as they do not have a strong cough and contract common colds and viruses all the time, and therefore may have more immunity.
“There are many potential reasons and there is conflicting data on that.”
When asked about the possibility of schools reopening soon, Professor Butler said it all boiled down to the balance of risk. “There is no risk-free environment.”
Irish Emergency Medicine Association President Dr Emily O’Connor previously warned of the “nightmare scenario” that could unfold in hospitals in the fall when schools and activities resume, which could lead to a second wave of Covid-19.
The usual winter flu pressures and reduced bed capacity were “really troubling,” he told the Today program on RTÉ radio.
Dr. O’Connor said it was necessary to “reestablish” how the emergency departments worked. “We can’t go back to being overcrowded again.”
The cancellation of elective surgeries, improved discharges, and increased reliance on services like virtual clinics had increased bed capacity. It was important that patients spend as little time as possible in a banded system, especially with a virus in the air like Covid-19, he said.
“We ask the public, the government and the HSE to ensure that this does not happen.”
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