Meat industry tackles clusters €30BILLION
»»Donohoe warns Dail panel increase in deficit ‘inevitable’
THE Irish meat industry has said it is doing all it can to combat coronavirus outbreaks in processing plants.
Meat Industry Ireland spoke out after the number of cases in factories jumped by 300 to 828 in the past week.
The sharp rise was described as “concerning” by deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.
MII spokesman Cormac Healy said the plants will continue to work with the HSE and local control teams to stop the spread of Covid-19.
He told RTE’S Morning Ireland: “This is a huge learning curve. I fully understand concerns at the unfortunate number of clusters.” Mr Healy added where clusters have occurred the HSE has been engaged in “several of those facilities”.
CORONAVIRUS will rip €30billion hole in Ireland’s economy this year.
aAnd kids may have to learn and play in small
“pods” because of social distancing rules when creches reopen.
The new implications of the pandemic were revealed at a coronavirus Dail accountability session yesterday.
Last month, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe forecast the crisis would cost the country €23billion.
But yesterday he revised that figure upward. Mr Donohoe said: “It is inevitable further decisions will have to be made in the coming weeks.
“For example, income supports, in relation to how we support our health services and because of that, and because of the external environment we’re in, the figure will be ahead of €23billion and I expect already that are already approaching the upper end of the deficit outlines in the Government’s stability programme.” Mr Donohoe added the coronavirus benefits to 1.25 million people is “in the longer run, neither sustainable nor affordable”.
He said: “We can’t ignore the reality of constraints that will emerge in the future.
“The measures cannot Mr Donohoe
and will not last for ever. “The budgetary impact of these measures will be largely addressed by people going back to work but there will be a cost to the Exchequer.”
Mr Donohoe has promised to make a decision on the future of the coronavirus supports schemes by the end of this month as the current arrangewe
HEALTH chiefs yesterday praised Irish people’s sensible response to the first phase of new freedoms.
As 11 more Covid-19 deaths were announced, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the majority are sticking to guidelines as the sunshine ment is due to finish on June 8. Minister for Children Katherine Zappone was also in Leinster House where she said the Government is looking at the safest ways to bring children back to creches.
She added: “Our preliminary
brought more people out and large queues formed at newly-reopened Mcdonald’s drive-thrus.
He added: “If people stick with that, hopefully in another two weeks we will be able to recommend the relaxation of further measures.”
But he again dismissed the prospect of schools and
Dr Ronan Glynn last night