‘Government should bring back masks over winter’

THE Government should reintroduce maskwearing so businesses are not crippled by a Covid and flu ‘twindemic’ this winter, a leading HR expert has said.

Damien McCarthy of HR Buddy said high absenteeism caused by the double virus outbreak feared by some health experts ‘may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back’ for some businesses – already grappling with huge running costs.

Mr McCarthy told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘We can’t walk into this with our eyes closed and workplaces need to have contingency plans in place.’

His company has advised clients to reintroduce mask-wearing, along with renewed attention to ventilation and sanitisation, but Mr McCarthy said it can be ‘difficult for a workplace to implement mask-wearing when it hasn’t been Government-led – when it isn’t a guideline’.

‘Reverting a little’ back to hybrid and remote working is recommended too, ‘which isn’t much of a big deal because they’re only doing something that they were doing before anyway,’ said the HR expert.

High levels of infection could leave employees between a rock and a hard place, Mr McCarthy said, with many still not entitled to sick pay until new legislation comes in on January 1. Anthony Staines, Professor of health systems at DCU and a member of the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (ISAG), said a return to widespread mask use was ‘entirely logical’.

‘Everywhere I have dealings, I’m seeing there’s more people out sick and the fear is that numbers are going to rise,’ he said, adding that ‘there is likely to be some kind of twindemic’.

‘I’d certainly push masks on public transport very hard. Buses and trains are fairly crowded at rush hour. In several other European countries, you can’t get on a bus without a mask.’

Prof Staines said the direction to use masks ‘has to come from the Minister [of Health, Stephen Donnolly]’.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said it has ‘no plans to introduce mandated mask-wearing at present’.

However, the spokesman added: ‘If required, the introduction of mask mandates in certain settings (eg. transport and healthcare) will involve a point-in-time assessment of a constellation of indicators with due consideration of the personal, ethical and public health perspectives.

‘Any such mandate will be pursued in a proportionate manner, will be the least intrusive measure to achieve the identified legitimate public health goal(s) and will be of limited duration.’