OVER 70S TOLD TO STAY PUT
Confusion over new restrictions to tackle Covid +++ And in the wake of outrage over Dublin pub...
THE over-70s are being ‘punished’ for the actions of others under new Covid restrictions, campaigners for the elderly said last night.
There was a furious backlash after the Taoiseach said over 70s must partially cocoon again – shopping and exercising only during designated hours.
They are asking why the elderly must bear the brunt of restrictions, when images of reckless partying surfaced at the weekend, and three in four of the 190 new cases yesterday were among the under-45s.
Maureen Kavanagh, the chief executive of Active Retirement Ireland, warned against ‘pitting one generation against another’.
The latest measures were also criticised and described as ‘daft’ for
creating widespread confusion among the public.
Pensioners have been told they should ‘exercise their individual judgment’ – but to limit their interaction to small numbers of people for a short period.
They must also avoid public transport, and shop only during designated hours – and while they can staycation in private houses they should avoid hotels.
Ms Kavanagh said: ‘It’s clear the recent outbreak hasn’t originated from older people socialising or flouting Government guidelines. We do not believe in pitting one generation against another. Everyone must act together if we are to come through this.’
Seán Moynihan, chief executive of Alone said: ‘We are extremely disappointed that older people may face harsh restrictions once again due to the negligence and disregard of other people across the country.’
He said the charity has spoken to ‘many people who use our services who feel that they had been managing their own risks and following public health guidelines and rules, and that they should be able to choose and manage risks and their health like any other adult.
‘We believe everyone should be
‘Need to recommit ourselves’
treated equally and this is only possible if all follow the guidelines.’
Meanwhile, the new measures, which will be in place until September 13, were widely criticised for being so contradictory they would lose public confidence. For instance:
People have been told to largely restrict their movements, work from home, and avoid public transport where possible – yet the opening time for restaurants and bars has actually been extended to 11.30pm.
Thousands of schools will still reopen next week as planned, with pupils using school buses – despite advice to avoid public transport.
While all outdoor events have been limited to 15 people, and indoor gatherings to six people, down from 50 – weddings and Mass services have been excluded from the updated restrictions.
The mixed messaging has left many questioning how a wedding with 50 people can go ahead, while it is ruled unsafe for a little girl to invite more than six of her friends to her birthday party.
Labour Party leader Alan Kelly last night said the string of contradictory new measures creates confusion and risks losing public confidence.
Describing some of the measures as ‘daft’ he said: ‘On the one hand, why are we saying that some people shouldn’t be using public transport but we’re going to force our children going to schools across Ireland to use school buses. There’s a contradiction there.’
The tightening of restrictions was announced yesterday in a desperate bid to curb a spike in cases over the last three weeks, that has taken the country’s rate of growth to the fourth highest in Europe. The 190 new cases yesterday were the second highest daily rise since early May. The figure last Saturday was 200.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that if this continued it would spread to the most vulnerable.
‘We are at another critical moment,’ he told last night’s briefing. He said the ‘harsh reality’ is that recent trends and the spread of the virus are ‘very serious’.
‘We are not close to the level and pace of the spread of the virus earlier this year, but we are at a point where we need to recommit ourselves to key behaviours and to accept additional controls.
‘The evidence is that a large number of people are acting as if the virus is no threat to them, or that it’s OK to take a few more risks, and many people seem to believe that if those they are socialising with have no symptoms, there is no problem.
‘If the current increase continues, it will be impossible to stop the spread of the virus to our most vulnerable and most compromised and the virus is as deadly today as it was before,’ he said. As well as cutting to six the number of visitors allowed in a home, where most clusters have occurred, outdoor gatherings are restricted to 15 people down from 200, with all fans banned from sport. Gardaí will also get greater powers to enforce the rules. But restaurants and pubs that serve food can stay open half an hour later until 11.30pm.
The Taoiseach said the aim of the restrictions was to make sure key parts of the economy can keep trading and schools can reopen for the first time since March. People have been told to avoid public transport where possible and to wear facemasks on private transport when households are mixed.
But there will be no social distancing on school buses, which the Government has said are being treated differently, as the same groups of children travel together.
Meanwhile, as thousands of pupils are set to return to school at the end of the month, busi
‘We’re now seeing multiple clusters’
nesses are being encouraged to advise staff to work from home where possible. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the country went from a weekly low of 61 cases earlier this year to 533 last week.
‘We’re now seeing multiple clusters throughout the country, in people’s homes, in multiple workplaces and in a number of other social settings,’ he said.
‘Our 14-day cumulative cases per 100,000 population, a key measure looked at by NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team), is now 26 – that’s come up from four. Our five-day average of new cases is 116 new cases per day and rising,’ he added. He said the new measures are to protect the health services and jobs, and to get schools reopened.
He added: ‘Looking at the facts and listening to the medical experts, we are at a tipping point.’
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned about the dangers of being in close contact with friends and family.
‘This virus is not tired even if we are. The measures that have been recommended today place a lot of responsibility on each of us as individuals to make choices about how we behave and how we interact with one another. But this is a collective problem and it requires collective action,’ he said.
Labour’s Mr Kelly said the mixed messaging would see public support evaporate. He told the Mail: ‘The decisions in relation to school transport and public transport are contradictory.
‘The decisions in relation to outdoor settings are contradictory also. The decisions in relation to closing attendances at sporting organisations are daft and stupid.
Also, telling 70-year-olds that they can’t go to a hotel on a staycation, while promoting them, is completely contradictory and bordering on age discrimination. In many cases, the Government has lost a good bit of the public goodwill and people will not come with them on a number of these measures.
‘What is urgently needed is a ramping up of the testing and tracing system, and enhanced control measures for at-risk food factories and Direct Provision centres. A quicker turnaround on testing times would enable outbreaks to be more quickly controlled.’
Sinn Féin’s health spokesman David Cullinane said the Government’s failure to act on a number of fronts, including faster testing, had led to the return to stricter restrictions. ‘This has led to the unfair treatment of sports clubs, small businesses and communities that will now suffer the consequences of the Government failing to act despite months of warnings,’ he said.