Adviser quits corona group over rise in cases
‘Nation has been left unnecessarily vulnerable’
A PUBLIC safety advocate has resigned from the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Covid-19 in frustration at the failure to intercept the latest wave of Covid-19 cases.
Damien Nee told the Sunday Independent the “final straw” came when he sought to raise his concerns with the group about the rise in cases in meat plants and Direct Provision centres last week.
The EAG, an influential advisory body on Covid-19, had cancelled meetings for last week and this week to allow members take a holiday.
In a resignation letter he submitted to the EAG this weekend, Mr Nee wrote: “The final straw has been skipping two meetings at possibly the most critical time in the evolution of the coronavirus situation in Ireland. It is like making a statement that the EAG feels it has no contribution to make to this issue.”
Confirming his resignation, Mr Nee said he believed the advisory groups to the Government needed to take more proactive action in the fight to eliminate the coronavirus.
He called on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to review the roles of all advisory bodies.
“In Clara, Offaly, last Sunday, over 5,000 attended an outdoor market. Events like this are a potential hotbed of spread. How can tracing work in that type of environment? Where are the policy documents dealing with events like this?” he said.
“If this virus is to be controlled in Ireland, there must be rapid proactive reactions to evolving situations.
“We know the seriousness of the impending storm. Let’s strive to protect our health care staff and ensure the refrigerated trucks are not required.
“I would like the three-county lockdown to be used as a case study for sending a box of 50 medical face masks to every household in Laois, Kildare and Offaly.”
Mr Nee went on to explain his reasons for this stating: “I believe this would pay a huge dividend by helping to reduce the spread of infection.”
He stressed he wished the members of the EAG well.
The EAG advises the National Public Health Advisory Team (Nphet), which in turn advises the Government on Covid-19. It is chaired by Cillian de Gascun, the director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, and is made up of leading doctors, scientists and health officials.
Mr Nee, a businessman from Laois, was invited on to the EAG to represent the interests of the public by the Health Service Executive. He is member of St James’s Hospital patient representative group, and serves on the National Screening Service committee.
He is the first member of the EAG to resign.
In a letter circulated to members this weekend, Mr Nee said he was resigning because he felt that “every available proactive action has not been actively explored”.
“It has been known that meat plants are a source of infection and questionable labour practices. Failure to ruthlessly monitor, test and trace meat plant employees has resulted in this dreadful situation in Laois, Kildare and Offaly.”
He also claimed the “further failure to quarantine the residents and staff of the Direct Provision centres has exacerbated this”.
The failure to have a “visible compliance process” left the “nation unnecessarily vulnerable”, he said.
“The people of Laois, Offaly and Kildare deserve better proactive preventative measures.”
Mr Nee also criticised the messaging on masks in his final letter to his former EAG colleagues: “The EAG has not had the impact on the public that it is capable of having, at a time when strong unambiguous direction and imperatives must be given.
“A member of the Dáil Covid-19 Committee in a recent radio interview expressed a degree of uncertainty about the scientific case for mask wearing based on a discussion with an EAG member. Is this the position of the EAG? Mixed and ambiguous messaging must not happen.”
A staunch advocate for face masks from the outset, Mr Nee told the Sunday Independent that he was also frustrated with the delay in introducing a policy of universal mask wearing to control the coronavirus in contrast with countries such as New Zealand and Taiwan. The advisory group’s policy changed when the World Health Organisation changed its advice in June to say that medical-grade masks should worn by people over 60.
Mr Nee’s resignation comes as gardaí have urged those living in Kildare, Laois and Offaly to avoid making unnecessary journeys.
The plea came after the new restrictions come into force in the midlands counties aimed at stemming the spread of coronavirus.
Officers are set to be highly visible, manning checkpoints and will be a permanent presence on relevant motorways and associated off-ramps.
Deputy Commissioner John Twomey urged those living in the three counties to stay at home and avoid unnecessary journeys.
“This operation is designed to support the restrictions that are being implemented locally in these three counties in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
“It is vital that we continue to work to minimise the risk to ourselves, our families and our local communities. We would appeal to all those living in these counties to stay and home and not undertake unnecessary journeys in an effort to reduce the spread of Covid-19.”
Meanwhile, Labour senator Mark Wall has urged the public in Laois, Offaly and Kildare to pay heed to the new measures.
“I know these measures will be difficult... but we must follow them in order to suppress the spread of the virus,” he said.