COVID-19 CRISIS IN WICKLOW
THE onset of the coronavirus, COVID-19, is causing chaos around County Wicklow with everything from St Patrick’s Day parades to bingo sessions being cancelled in the interests of public safety.
The Government announced on Monday that all St Patrick’s Day parades around the Ireland are not to proceed as the country tries to get to grips with the virus.
The announcement, which came following a meeting of a special Cabinet committee, outlined the next phase of Ireland’s response to what is a national and global public health emergency.
Organisers of all public gatherings are being advised to adhere to national guidelines and best practice in terms of ensuring the health and wellbeing of the public.
The St Patrick’s Day parade organisers in Carnew had said they were considering whether or not they would go ahead with their parade celebrations prior to the emergency cabinet meeting taking place.
In addition to major public gatherings like the annual parades the effect of the coronavirus is also being felt on smaller events scheduled for Wicklow and around the country.
The organisers of a planned GAA bingo session in Glenealy village hall have cancelled the event - which was due to take place on Sunday, March 15.
They said the cancellation was due to the risks posed by the virus but they hope to reschedule it for a later date.
A Somalian short film was also due to be premièred today by Crosscare East Wicklow Youth Service but that has also now been cancelled.
In a message a spokesperson for the service said: ‘Due to current conditions relating to the virus Crosscare is taking pre-emptive measures to prevent further spread and have requested a cancellation of all large gatherings.’
‘To this end we are postponing the launch of the short film but hope to re-organise again at a later date,’ said the spokesperson for the organisation.
The Carnew Community Art Group was also due to hold an exhibition in Robert’s Garage, adjacent to St Brigid’s Hall, from Saturday, March 14, until St Patrick’s Day, however, that event has also now been cancelled.
A concert due to be held in the Woodenbridge Hotel, Avoca, on Thursday night, March 12, has also been postponed.
However, the organisers are urging people to hold on to their tickets which will still be valid for a rescheduled later date.
The onslaught of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has created havoc and alarm on a global scale not seen for generations.
No-one could have foreseen the chaos that would be caused by a virus that has to-date infected 116,246 people worldwide and resulted in 4,089 deaths.
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect a person’s lungs and airways and it’s caused by a virus known as coronavirus.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus, which can take 14 days to appear, include: a cough; shortness of breath; fever and shortness of breath.
As this newspaper went to press there were 24 active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Ireland, however, that figure is expected to rise dramatically in the coming days.
In Northern Ireland the Department of Health confirmed that five new cases had been confirmed bringing the total there to 112.
The new cases in the Republic involve a male in a hospital in the south of the country and a female in the east of the country, who has an underlying illness and is seriously ill.
The HSE also said that projections that around 1.9 million people in the Republic of Ireland could be affected by the virus cannot be disputed, however, the vast majority of COVID-19 cases are mild with people making a full recovery.
In announcing the next phase of its efforts in dealing with the virus the Government outlined a number of actions that were agreed at yesterday’s emergency meeting.
In a statement it said ‘the main objective in the current phase is to limit and slow down the spread of the virus, to keep the number of affected people to a minimum and reduce peak pressure on the health service’.
Ireland remains in the containment phase of dealing with COVID-19 and the Government said that all necessary measures, based on public health advice, should continue to be implemented.
It’s expected that Ireland will move towards delay and mitigation phases over the coming weeks and months.
A package of reforms was also agreed with regard to sick pay, illness benefit and supplementary benefit which the Government said ‘is designed to ensure that employees and the self-employed can abide by medical advice to self-isolate where appropriate, while having their income protected to a far greater degree than under the current social welfare system’
It’s estimated the cost of the new package will be in the region of €2.4bn.
The Government said the decision to cancel all St Patrick’s Day parades was taken due to the unique nature and scale of such events.
The decision was made based on the advice of the National Public Health Emergency team (NPHET)
The situation with regard to other events and mass gatherings remains under review with all responses guided by the NPHET.
The HSE is also set to implement a series of actions at a cost of €435m which will include freeing up space in hospitals and in particular ensuring maximum capacity in intensive care and high-dependency units.
The Government has also announced a €2.4bn income support package as part of its efforts to contain COVID-19 including an increase in the personal rate if illness benefit from €203 to €305 per week for a maximum period of two weeks for medically certified self-isolation or for the duration of a person’s medically certified absence from work due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Self-employed people will be entitled to receive either illness benefit or non-means tested supplementary welfare allowance.
Firms and businesses affected by the virus will also be supported through a €200m liquidity support fund and the existing systematic short-time working scheme is available for employees who may be placed on reduced working arrangements.
The Cabinet Committee will meet again this coming Friday when the members will consider an updated national action plan and the NPHET is expected to meet again today, Tuesday, March 10.
The HSE is due to scale up its series of actions to deal with what could become an unprecedented demand on resources way beyond anything previously experienced.