‘The message has arrived here’

Bettystown-Laytown in Co Meath has remained virtually Covid-19 free. How?

It’s the day before every county in the state enters Level 3, and it’s a bright, cold morning in Laytown in Co Meath. The sea is shining, the tide is out, and people walk along the beautiful shell-filled beach, which stretches along the shoreline to Bettystown, 2 km away. The two towns are so close to each other that their names are often pronounced in tandem: Bettystown-Laytown, Laytown-Bettystown.

Recent Covid-19 data shows a national rate of 116 cases per 100,000 residents between September 22 and October 5. In that same date range, the Bettystown-Laytown local polling area, with a combined population of 34,121, had a rate of less than five per 100,000.

The large district, stretching north to Drogheda and inland to Slane and beyond, has achieved what all areas of Ireland aspire to: the lowest possible level of positive Covid-19 cases in the community.

And it’s far from the only area with that enviable statistic. During those two weeks from September to October, the rate was the same on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry and in parts of Carlow, Cork, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo and Waterford.

The Irish Times is in Bettystown-Laytown, the largest population center in this area with some 12,000 residents, to explore how it has managed to stay free, or virtually free, of Covid-19.

“That’s a tough question,” admits Jimmy Gilna, owner of The Cottage Inn in Laytown, a restaurant and bar. The business has been in his family for almost half a century. “Maybe because we are not a traditional town with a main street? We are disjointed. Businesses are scattered. We also have seven kilometers of beach, so there is plenty of space for people to walk and socially distance.

“But we are also a great commuter city. The age profile of the area is a mortgage with 2.5 children. “It indicates the public parking lot in front of the bar, which is very close to the train station. It is almost empty.” Usually that parking lot is full at this time of the day, and passengers take the train to Dublin. But a lot of people have been working from home for the past few months, and not traveling, so you’d think more people around is more risk. “

Gilna believes that the answer can be as simple as complying with current public health regulations. “People are used to queuing, waiting and wearing masks,” he says. While the upstairs restaurant had opened in early summer, the downstairs bar remained closed until September 21. Upon reopening, the bar’s capacity went from 150 to 86.

“The day we opened it was like a tsunami. We implement a reservation system that same day. After that, I’d say 90 percent of our business was done through reservations – we posted it on Facebook. “

The bar worked with a unidirectional system; entry through one door and exit through another. “If you stopped someone going out the wrong door, you only had to do it once,” he says. Since then, the bar has closed again, in accordance with current regulations.

St Colmcilles GAA Club serves the Bettystown-Laytown district and inland for about 10 km. Its president is Keith Loughman and its vice president is James Kelly. The club has about 3,000 members. We gather in the unusual setting of the ladies’ locker room, where the windows are wide open and we can sit away from each other – all the dressing rooms are currently closed for the players. The restrooms remain open, operating on a one-way system.

We had to tell the parents that only one could come to see a youth play

“There are 59 teams based here,” explains Kelly. “Membership ranges from five year olds to Gaelic for mothers and fathers. But 80 percent of our membership would be under the age of 18. “

Echoing the common values ​​of all GAA clubs across the country, Loughman cites “community spirit” as essential to helping them keep their club running safely. “We strictly adhere to the numbers of the parties,” he says. “Our supporters and members have been very respectful of the government’s guidelines. All have worn masks and have distanced themselves socially ”.

To maintain the numbers, they had to tell fans, for example, that only one family member could attend a match.

“We had to tell parents that only one could come to see a youth play,” says Kelly. “We had to turn people away and close the doors once we had a hundred. It goes against our spirit, but it was the right thing to do. And in the games after halftime and after the games, we disinfect the fence where the fans rest ”.

Any GAA club that has reported a case of a member testing positive has had to close for a period. “We haven’t had a single case here,” Loughman reports.

Kelly was unaware of recent data on Covid-19 incidents in his electoral area.

“I realized it over the weekend,” says Loughman. “We were surprised by the context of the huge population in the area. I would have expected it to go higher with the schools back. It can only be reduced to hard work in the area and compliance by the community. “

In Bettystown, there is a prominent sign near the main entrance to the beach: “Beach closed to vehicles.”

“That has been there since the summer,” says Kim Boyle. She works at East Coast Bookmakers and says there are far fewer clients these days. “The beach was crowded every day, so they closed it to cars.” Boyle was not aware of the low number of Covid-19 cases in the electoral area, but he is not very surprised to learn the news. “I know some people who have been tested and tested negative, but I don’t know of anyone who has.”

The Centra in Bettystown, which also contains the post office, has a sign at the entrance, “No mask, no entry.” In the boxes, which are in front of Perspex screens, there are several handwritten signs, all of which say: “Give your friend some space to keep everyone safe.”

I walk in one direction through the store and I don’t see a single person who is not wearing a mask, or who is not socially distant.

It is not the salt water that comes from the sea that has made our rates so low, it is the hard work of the community.

Patrick Boshell is the owner of Centra; a lifelong businessman in the village. It employs 35 people. “With compliance, you have to try to bring people with you,” he says. “When it comes to dealing with people, no matter what the rules are, not everything is black and white.”

As of August 10, the use of face covers in stores was made mandatory. “The staff had to set an example in the first week ourselves,” he says. “Clients expected us to deliver. It is a local business and we know our clients. There is a fine line between following the rules and being courteous to our clients. Our line is to encourage our clients to comply ”.

In the second week of mandatory face coverings, Boshell noted that clients had begun to take some responsibility for compliance themselves. “People were challenging each other if they weren’t wearing masks. It had the result of dragging those few people who did not adhere to compliance. “

There are always exceptions, even now. People forget their masks. Some tell Boshell that they cannot wear masks due to asthma or for other reasons. “What are you going to do? Ask them for a medical certificate? You have to let them pass; make your own judgment decisions.”

Last week, a customer pointed to another buyer; an older woman, 80, who was not wearing a mask. “I offered him one when he got to the checkout. He said he had forgotten. What do you do in those circumstances? You can’t kick someone out. ”The woman didn’t take the mask, but said she would remember to wear one next time.

Tom Behan is a Laytown-based Fianna Fáil local councilor. “Bettystown-Laytown is a city at its core,” he says.

As a councilor, he has always been on the lookout for Covid-19 data. “We have to learn to live with the virus, and we have been doing quite well here, as the numbers show. I don’t think many or most local people know our figures. It’s good news, but we don’t want a lot of people to come over the weekend either because they think the area is virus-free. “

Why does Behan think the rate has been so low in the area?

“Well, we have the beach, where people can walk and socially distance themselves, but we are not the only county with an outdoor service like this,” he says. “Dublin has Phoenix Park and Galway has Salthill. I attributed it to following the guidelines. Accordance. The message has arrived here. Wear your mask. Disinfect. It will work. There is evidence that it has worked here. It is not the salty water that comes from the sea that has made our rates so low, it is the hard work of the community ”.