No normal Halloween, masks not visors

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From circuit breakers to Halloween, here are some of the key messages from tonight’s briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team on the Covid-19 situation in Ireland.

No normal Halloween

When asked what people could expect on Halloween this year, Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan clearly said that it will not be a normal Halloween.

He says public health officials want to prevent people from gathering together, and that children and families should not move from house to house to trick-or-treat as is often the case on Halloween.

Take personal responsibility

Dr. Holohan emphasized the importance of personal responsibility in suppressing Covid-19.

He said the government can provide support and can set the rules, but it is up to the people to follow them.

You said the government is not going to wash its hands for you or put on the mask properly, and that people have to take responsibility for themselves.

The CMO said that there is now widespread community transmission across the country and that people have to act as if they have the virus and not assume that the public health guidance applies to other people and not themselves.

Wear a mask, not a visor

When asked if NPHET would recommend that people wear face covers outdoors, as has happened recently in other countries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said public health officials would continue to monitor the evidence on the masks when outdoors and they might make such a recommendation in the future. .

However, he said the focus right now is on getting people to wear masks correctly.

He said that too many people still leave their mouths or noses uncovered, or walk with their face covered below their chin.

On visors, Dr. Glynn said they are an acceptable alternative for a very small number of people who cannot wear face coverings, but that “the vast majority of people should wear masks.”

Border concerns

When asked about the high infection rate in Northern Ireland and the possible implications for border counties, Dr Holohan said that Northern Ireland is experiencing some of the highest infection rates in Europe, if not the world,

However, he said the virus does not respect borders and moves from person to person.

The concern is that people move between high-infection areas, regardless of borders, he said.

Work from home if possible

Dr. Holohan said he is increasingly concerned about the number of people returning to their workplaces who were working from home in the early stages of the pandemic.

He said that people should work from home as much as possible.

He also expressed concern about the number of social gatherings, saying that now is not the time for house parties, birthday parties or play dates.

Circuit breakers

Dr. Holohan says that NPHET did not recommend a “circuit break” lockout, and that that is not a term you would hear him use.

He said that NPHET advocated a change to level 5 of the government’s Living With Covid plan, but that the government, taking broader considerations into account, opted for level 3.

He says it would not have made sense for NPHET to then recommend a move to Level 5 again days later, when the measures the government had just announced would have had no impact on the numbers.

However, even though the government made it clear that it did not want to “jump” levels in its gradual plan, Dr. Holohan did not rule out recommending an ascent of more than one level in the future.

The spirit of the rules

Dr. Holohan was asked to respond to the idea that a couple could organize a wedding with 25 people in one room and 25 in another separated by a partition, which could be opened for speeches.

The CMO said that people should not look for ways to circumvent the rules and should adhere to the spirit of the rules and not just the letter.



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