Calls on the HSE to meet to discuss the practical and political feasibility of pursuing “Zero-Covid.”
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has said that he is disappointed with the reaction of the HSE’s Paul Reid to his party’s proposal for a Zero-Covid plan to deal with Covid-19. He said that he felt that Mr Reid and the HSE were being overly pessimistic, on what are essentially political grounds, and would welcome the opportunity to meet with them to discuss the political feasibility of a Zero-Covid strategy.
Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out that that many public health and infectious disease experts, including Dr Gabriel Scally, believed perusing a Zero-Covid or elimination strategy was both desirable and politically possible, if there was the political will to pursue it.
He said: “It’s not at all surprising to hear government spokespeople dismiss our proposal for a Zero-Covid strategy as they would do anything rather than admit the dire mistakes they have made that led to current surge and lock-down. However, it is very disappointing for the HSE and Paul Reid to dismiss the Zero-Covid strategy as an alternative to the government’s “Living With Covid” plan. Their pessimism seems to be based on political issues concerning the border rather than the public health issues which make an elimination strategy eminently more desirable than the dreadful cycle of surge and lockdown we are currently caught in.
“Zero-Covid is a policy which the government should implement because we can see that it is working in other similar jurisdictions. Countries like New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and other Asian countries have effectively pursued an elimination strategy. They too had political and practical problems, but they have overcome them because they had the political will to follow a strategy based on chasing the virus rather than being chased by it.
“The elimination of community transmission and Zero-Covid itself does not mean we don’t have any Covid, it would merely mean that we have the numbers down so low and the infrastructure and procedures to quickly identify and clamp down on out breaks.
“It is untrue to say that we would be completely sealing our borders in Zero-Covid. We would merely be enforcing a very serious quarantine and ban all non-essential travel as has been done in other countries. Along with this we would need to implement a very strong tracking and tracing regime and other so called ‘firefighting’ measures once we have achieved the elimination of community transmission.
“Let’s remember, we were within striking distance of eliminating community transmission last summer, so we know it can be done. The issue of the border is manageable, if there is the political will and the practical planning.
“I would be very happy to meet with Mr Reid and the HSE to discuss how the political issues he believes so insurmountable could be addressed.
“I would say however that the comments about Direct Provision centres and meat plants really do let the government off the hook for failing to manage these facilities properly and their failure to resource the HSA properly to inspect workplaces and other congregated settings.”