theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Covid-19: Restrictions an attempt to prevent State going back to ‘beginning’

Imposing two weeks of movement restrictions in Laois , Offaly and Kildare in response to a spike in Covid-19 cases was not “ a blunt instrument ” to deal with the issue , Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said .
Mr Donnelly said that if this sort of measure had not been introduced for a period it was “ entirely possible ” that similar restrictions would have had to be imposed elsewhere in the State again .
He said restrictions had been put in place to save lives , to protect vulnerable people and the local economy .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it did , the virus could have spread “ around the country ” and “ we would have been right back at the beginning ” .
The Minister told RTÉ ’ s Morning Ireland that it was important to move as quickly and as locally as possible in response to the increase in confirmed cases , many of which related to people working in the meat processing sector .
More than 300 additional cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Co Kildare in the past fortnight , according to figures provided by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Co Kildare stood at 138.4 cases per 100,000 of population on Monday , almost eight times the national average .
The rates in Laois and Offaly were also multiples of the national average .
The response of the Irish people in the pandemic to date has been “ nothing short of spectacular ” .
The data showed that despite the clusters , the level of community transmission in the State has been very low , he said .
“ We could be looking at this for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine comes through so we need to be fully transparent with people.
” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government ’ s intention was to announce economic supports for the Midlands counties that are under the localised lockdown this week , perhaps as soon as Thursday .
He said businesses have told him they want funding for marketing campaigns to offset some of the reputational damage that has been done , with many in the three counties feeling retail , travel and hospitality sectors will be hurt as people will be slow to return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to help to counteract that , perhaps through marketing funds and other things , ” he said .
“ As they pointed out to me , that if we can impose local restrictions surely we can have some additional local investment and financial support for business.
” World Health Organisation ( WHO ) representative David Nabarro said that localised lockdowns are going to be more frequent in the future and the public is going to have to learn to live with the constant threat of the virus .
He told RTÉ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show that the question of how much of an area should be focused on to supress the spread of the virus would evolve over time .
The authorities will go for a wider area at the beginning , but over time “ as we get more sophisticated ” the area will narrow , he said .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) is to meet on Wednesday to review the latest trends on Covid-19 .
The meeting comes after 35 new cases were reported on Wednesday , the lowest number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On the issue of localised lockdowns , Prof Mary Horgan , president of the Royal College of Physicians Ireland , said public health authorities would have to link in with businesses and the local community rather than “ broad brush strokes ” on a national or by county basis .
She said the situation in the Midlands provides an opportunity to look at all the information gathered over the 14 days of restrictions , which will have “ huge implications ” for the people of the three counties .

A general view of Naas in Co Kildare, one of three counties where movement restrictions have been imposed to try slow the spread of Covid-19. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times.
Imposing two weeks of movement restrictions in Laois, Offaly and Kildare in response to a spike in Covid-19 cases was not “a blunt instrument” to deal with the issue, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said.
Mr Donnelly said that if this sort of measure had not been introduced for a period it was “entirely possible” that similar restrictions would have had to be imposed elsewhere in the State again.
He said restrictions had been put in place to save lives, to protect vulnerable people and the local economy. If the Government had not reacted as quickly as it did, the virus could have spread “around the country” and “we would have been right back at the beginning”.
The Minister told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that it was important to move as quickly and as locally as possible in response to the increase in confirmed cases, many of which related to people working in the meat processing sector.
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More than 300 additional cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Co Kildare in the past fortnight, according to figures provided by the Department of Health earlier this week. The 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Co Kildare stood at 138.4 cases per 100,000 of population on Monday, almost eight times the national average. The rates in Laois and Offaly were also multiples of the national average.
Spectacular
The response of the Irish people in the pandemic to date has been “nothing short of spectacular”. The data showed that despite the clusters, the level of community transmission in the State has been very low, he said.
“We could be looking at this for nine months to two years before a vaccine comes through so we need to be fully transparent with people.”
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government’s intention was to announce economic supports for the Midlands counties that are under the localised lockdown this week, perhaps as soon as Thursday.
He said businesses have told him they want funding for marketing campaigns to offset some of the reputational damage that has been done, with many in the three counties feeling retail, travel and hospitality sectors will be hurt as people will be slow to return to the areas.
“We’re going to help to counteract that, perhaps through marketing funds and other things,” he said. “As they pointed out to me, that if we can impose local restrictions surely we can have some additional local investment and financial support for business.”
More frequent
World Health Organisation (WHO) representative David Nabarro said that localised lockdowns are going to be more frequent in the future and the public is going to have to learn to live with the constant threat of the virus.
He told RTÉ radio’s Today with Sarah McInerney show that the question of how much of an area should be focused on to supress the spread of the virus would evolve over time. The authorities will go for a wider area at the beginning, but over time “as we get more sophisticated” the area will narrow, he said.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is to meet on Wednesday to review the latest trends on Covid-19. The meeting comes after 35 new cases were reported on Wednesday, the lowest number of daily cases in almost a fortnight.
On the issue of localised lockdowns, Prof Mary Horgan, president of the Royal College of Physicians Ireland, said public health authorities would have to link in with businesses and the local community rather than “broad brush strokes” on a national or by county basis.
She said the situation in the Midlands provides an opportunity to look at all the information gathered over the 14 days of restrictions, which will have “huge implications” for the people of the three counties.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Sunny spells forecast with high temperatures of 26 degrees

Temperatures are set to rise to 26 degrees on Wednesday with warm and sunny spells forecast .
However conditions will remain unsettled and humid for much of the rest of the week .
Mist and fog may linger for a time on Wednesday morning but will clear gradually to leave a mainly dry day with sunny spells .
Met Éireann said a few showers are possible along southern coasts in the evening .
Conditions will be warm and humid with highest temperatures between 19 and 26 degrees .
There will be a risk of thunder or showery conditions , mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with dry periods also .
It will be warm and humid overnight with lowest temperatures between 12 and 17 degrees leading to occasional mist and fog patches .
Thursday morning will start mostly cloudy with showers , some heavy or thundery at times , especially in Munster .
Some bright spells will develop elsewhere with a risk of isolated heavy showers .
Highest temperatures will be between 19 to 25 degrees in light to moderate northeast to easterly breezes .
It will be muggy and mostly cloudy with showers continuing in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elsewhere .
Lowest temperatures will be between 14 and 18 degrees .
There will be a “ murky , misty and mostly cloudy start ” on Friday with the continued risk of showers or longer spells of rain in Munster and south Leinster and Connacht , while remaining mostly dry elsewhere .
It will be warm and humid with highest temperatures between 19 and 23 degrees .
Showers will continue , mostly in Munster and Connacht on Friday night , with lowest temperatures between 14 and 17 degrees .
It will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ west with mist and fog patches developing in light easterly or variable breezes .
Saturday will see low cloud mist and fog to start with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers developing by the afternoon .
Highest temperatures will be between 19 and 23 degrees in light and variable breezes .
It will be mostly cloudy with occasional clear spells and scattered showers overnight .
Lowest temperatures will be between 12 and 16 degrees with mist and fog patches developing .
Sunny spells and scattered showers are forecast for Sunday with some heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Highest temperatures will be between 18 and 23 degrees .

The Status Yellow rainfall warning came into affect at 5pm and will remain in force until 9am on Thursday. File photograph: Getty
A Status Yellow rainfall warning has been put in place for seven counties across Munster and south Leinster overnight, with torrential downpours set to lead to spot flooding in some locations.
The Met Éireann weather alert covers Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford, where heavy thundery rain is expected this evening and overnight – with accumulations of 20 to 30mm.
The warning came into affect at 5pm and will remain in force until 9am on Thursday.
It will be warm and humid overnight with lowest temperatures between 12 and 17 degrees, leading to occasional mist and fog patches.
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The morning will start mostly cloudy with showers, some heavy or thundery at times, especially in Munster. Some bright spells will develop elsewhere with a risk of isolated heavy showers.
Highest temperatures will be between 19 to 25 degrees in light to moderate northeast to easterly breezes. It will be muggy and mostly cloudy, with showers continuing in the south of the country and with clear spells elsewhere. Lowest temperatures will be between 14 and 18 degrees.
There will be a “murky, misty and mostly cloudy start” on Friday, with the continued risk of showers or longer spells of rain in Munster and south Leinster and Connacht, while remaining mostly dry elsewhere.
It will be warm and humid, with highest temperatures between 19 and 23 degrees.
Showers will continue on Friday night, mostly in Munster and Connacht, with lowest temperatures between 14 and 17 degrees. It will be a degree or two cooler in the southwest, with mist and fog patches developing in light easterly or variable breezes.
Saturday will see low cloud, mist and fog to start, with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers developing by the afternoon. Highest temperatures will be between 19 and 23 degrees in light and variable breezes.
It will be mostly cloudy with occasional clear spells and scattered showers overnight. Lowest temperatures will be between 12 and 16 degrees with mist and fog patches developing.
Sunny spells and scattered showers are forecast for Sunday with some heavy or thundery bursts during the afternoon. Highest temperatures will be between 18 and 23 degrees.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--A new species of dinosaur discovered on the Isle of Wight

Four bones found on the Isle of Wight belong to a new species of dinosaur from the same family as Tyrannosaurus rex , scientists say .
Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton say the creature lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and is estimated to have been up to four metres long .
The dinosaur — which is a new species of theropod dinosaur , the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and modern-day birds — has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus .
The name refers to the large air spaces in some of the bones , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its theropod origins .
These air sacs , also seen in modern birds , were extensions of the lungs .
It is likely they helped fuel an efficient breathing system while also making the skeleton lighter .
The bones , discovered on the foreshore at Shanklin last year , are from the neck , back and tail .
The fossils were found over a period of weeks in 2019 in three separate discoveries — two by individuals and one by a family group , who all handed in their finds to the nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study has confirmed the fossils are very likely to be from the same individual dinosaur , with the exact location and timing of the finds adding to this belief .
Robin Ward , a regular fossil hunter from Stratford-upon-Avon , was with his family visiting the Isle of Wight when they made their discovery .
He said : “ The joy of finding the bones we discovered was absolutely fantastic .
I thought they were special and so took them along when we visited Dinosaur Isle Museum .
“ They immediately knew these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could donate them to the museum to be fully researched.
” James Lockyer , from Spalding , Lincolnshire was also visiting the island when he found another of the bones .
He said : “ It looked different from marine reptile vertebrae I have come across in the past .
“ I was searching a spot at Shanklin and had been told and read that I wouldn ’ t find much there .
“ However , I always make sure I search the areas others do not , and on this occasion it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vertebrae , palaeontologists from the University of Southampton confirmed that the bones are likely to belong to a genus of dinosaur previously unknown to science .
Their findings will be published in the journal Papers In Palaeontology .
Chris Barker , a PhD student at the university who led the study , said : “ We were struck by just how hollow this animal was — it ’ s riddled with air spaces .
“ Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate .
“ The record of theropod dinosaurs from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t that great , so it ’ s been really exciting to be able to increase our understanding of the diversity of dinosaur species from this time .
“ You don ’ t usually find dinosaurs in the deposits at Shanklin as they were laid down in a marine habitat .
“ You ’ re much more likely to find fossil oysters or driftwood , so this is a rare find indeed.
” Scientists say that it is likely the Vectaerovenator lived in an area just north of where its remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ washed out into the shallow sea nearby .
– PA

A CGI imageby the University of Southampton of an impression of the final moments of a new species of theropod. Photograph: Trudie Wilson/PA Wire
Four bones found on the Isle of Wight belong to a new species of dinosaur from the same family as Tyrannosaurus rex, scientists say.
Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton say the creature lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and is estimated to have been up to four metres long.
The dinosaur — which is a new species of theropod dinosaur, the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and modern-day birds — has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus.
The name refers to the large air spaces in some of the bones, one of the traits that helped the scientists identify its theropod origins.
READ MORE
These air sacs, also seen in modern birds, were extensions of the lungs.
It is likely they helped fuel an efficient breathing system while also making the skeleton lighter.
The four bones found on the Isle of Wight which belong to a new species of dinosaur that has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus. Photograph: Darren Naish/PA Wire
The bones, discovered on the foreshore at Shanklin last year, are from the neck, back and tail.
The fossils were found over a period of weeks in 2019 in three separate discoveries — two by individuals and one by a family group, who all handed in their finds to the nearby Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown.
Scientific study has confirmed the fossils are very likely to be from the same individual dinosaur, with the exact location and timing of the finds adding to this belief.
Robin Ward, a regular fossil hunter from Stratford-upon-Avon, was with his family visiting the Isle of Wight when they made their discovery.
He said: “The joy of finding the bones we discovered was absolutely fantastic. I thought they were special and so took them along when we visited Dinosaur Isle Museum.
“They immediately knew these were something rare and asked if we could donate them to the museum to be fully researched.”
James Lockyer, from Spalding, Lincolnshire was also visiting the island when he found another of the bones.
He said: “It looked different from marine reptile vertebrae I have come across in the past.
“I was searching a spot at Shanklin and had been told and read that I wouldn’t find much there.
“However, I always make sure I search the areas others do not, and on this occasion it paid off.”
Two of four bones found on the Isle of Wight. which belong to a new species of dinosaur. Photograph: University of Southampton/PA Wire
After studying the four vertebrae, palaeontologists from the University of Southampton confirmed that the bones are likely to belong to a genus of dinosaur previously unknown to science.
Their findings will be published in the journal Papers In Palaeontology.
Chris Barker, a PhD student at the university who led the study, said: "We were struck by just how hollow this animal was — it's riddled with air spaces.
“Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate.
"The record of theropod dinosaurs from the 'mid' Cretaceous period in Europe isn't that great, so it's been really exciting to be able to increase our understanding of the diversity of dinosaur species from this time.
“You don’t usually find dinosaurs in the deposits at Shanklin as they were laid down in a marine habitat.
“You’re much more likely to find fossil oysters or driftwood, so this is a rare find indeed.”
Scientists say that it is likely the Vectaerovenator lived in an area just north of where its remains were found, with the carcass having washed out into the shallow sea nearby. – PA


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Aaron Brady found guilty of capital murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe

Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe by a majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court .
The 29-year-old with an address at New Road , Crossmaglen , Co Armagh will be sentenced to the mandatory term for capital murder of 40 years imprisonment .
Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25th , 2013 that resulted in the detective ’ s death .
The jury of five men and seven women found him guilty on the robbery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their verdict on the capital murder charge on Wednesday having been told by trial judge Mr Justice Michael White that they could bring a majority verdict if 10 of them agreed .
The jury found him guilty on the capital murder charge by a majority 11 to one after spending 20 hours and two minutes considering their verdicts .
The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave with the day ’ s takings followed by a garda escort .
They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardaí when he was questioned a day after the shooting and 10 days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement .
In his closing speech to the jury , prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a “ practised liar ” .
“ It ’ s your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things are coincidence.
” To prove that Brady was the shooter , the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he “ shot a cop ” or “ murdered a garda ” on multiple occasions after he moved to New York following the shooting .
Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened .
He insisted he had nothing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lied to gardaí to cover up his involvement in diesel laundering .
The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance .
Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Det Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away , killing him instantly .
Eleven jury members decided that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when Brady pulled the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Síochána acting in accordance with his duty .
The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid-19 outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury ’ s absence .
The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks , making this the longest murder trial in the history of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that gardaí had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation .
Gardaí claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals involved .
Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardaí .
Insp Mark Phillips and Det Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder .
Only Ms Staunton and Mr Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady ’ s confession .
Four others who gave statements to gardaí alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court .
The evidence of another witness , who said he heard someone who said his name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ garda in a bar after a wedding , was ruled inadmissible by the judge .

29-year-old Aaron Brady from Crossmaglen has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25th, 2013. Video: Conor Lally
Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe by an 11 to one majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.
The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced on October 14th.
Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution told Mr Justice Michael White that the court is obliged to impose a life sentence for murder and as the jury found him guilty of capital murder he must specify that Brady serve not less than 40 years.
The late Det Gda Adrian Donohoe (41) was on active duty on January 25th, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth.
With the verdict returned the trial judge lifted an embargo on what he had called “the most outrageous” contempt of court he had seen in his career. It emerged during the trial that a video of one witness giving a statement about Aaron Brady to gardaí was circulated on social media with text calling the witness a “rat” and accusing him of “touting” on his friends. The witness in question did not come forward to give evidence. He was one of five witnesses who did not give evidence in a trial during which there were repeated claims that witnesses were suffering interference and intimidation.
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The jury returned to Court 19 in the Criminal Courts of Justice at 12 noon on Wednesday having spent 20 hours and two minutes considering their verdicts since last Thursday. Sitting at the back of the court, Garda Adrian Donohoe's sister and two brothers sat patiently as the jury filed into the courtroom. His wife, Caroline Donohoe, sat alone in the body of the court, two rows in front of her relatives.
Brady, who was wearing a grey suit and red tie, sat in the dock staring straight ahead. His father and sister were the only members of his family in court as the verdict was read out and sat together directly behind him.
Hung his head
As the guilty verdict was announced, Brady hung his head and stared into the distance. He closed his eyes for a moment but made no reaction as the judge thanked the jury for their dedication to the case. His face was pale as the reality of what he had just heard sunk in.
The brothers and sister of the late detective became emotional and wept silently.
When the jurors left the courtroom, Mr Justice Michael White said the court would rise for 15 minutes. Within seconds, Brady left the dock and walked to the cell area without engaging with his father or sister, who have both been with him throughout the trial. Brady’s legal team then followed him into the holding area.
As the courtroom began to empty out, Caroline Donohoe embraced the two solicitors for the State. She looked relieved as she touched fists with Detective Inspector Martin Beggy. One of the brothers of the late detective wiped away tears as he spoke to gardaí within the confines of the court and the prosecution barristers.
Whilst groups of people gathered outside the courtroom, Brady’s father and sister sat alone in their seats in the courtroom gathering their thoughts. Moments later, the defence team was seen sitting with Brady’s family at the back of the court to discuss the outcome of the case. Brady’s sister could be heard crying during the brief conversation.
Family members of the detective and supporters of the family looked relieved.
Circumstantial evidence
When Mr Grehan told the trial judge that he was obliged to impose a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years, Brady listened intently but gave no reaction.
Last Monday Brady was found guilty of involvement in the robbery that led to Det Gda Donohoe being shot dead. Brady’s father was in court at the time and shook his head in disagreement as the jury left court to continue their deliberations on the first count. Before Brady returned to the holding cell that day, he embraced his father in a big hug. However, there was no such reaction from Brady on Wednesday.
The scene following the shooting of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe near Dundalk, Co Louth. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times
Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25th, 2013 that resulted in the detective’s death.
The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car park just as employees were preparing to leave with the day’s takings followed by a garda escort. They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardaí when he was questioned one day after the shooting and ten days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement.
In his closing speech to the jury prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a “practised liar”. He said the prosecution case was a circumstantial one and that each piece of evidence on its own could be considered no more than coincidence. He added: “It’s your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront to common sense that all these little things are coincidence.”
To prove that Brady was the shooter the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he “shot a cop” or “murdered a garda” on multiple occasions after Brady moved to New York following the shooting.
Cover up
Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened. He insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery and said that he lied to gardaí to cover up his involvement in diesel laundering.
The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance.
Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Detective Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away, killing him instantly.
The jury’s verdict shows that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when Brady pulled the trigger he not only intended to kill or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Síochána acting in accordance with his duty.
The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury’s absence.
Longest murder trial
The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks, making this the longest murder trial in the history of the State.
During the trial it emerged that gardaí had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation. Gardaí claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals. Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardaí.
Inspector Mark Phillips and Detective Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York on several occasions and worked with the US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder.
Only Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady’s confession. Four others who gave statements to gardaí alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court. The evidence of another witness who said he heard someone who said his name was Aaron Brady confess to killing a garda in a bar after a wedding was ruled inadmissible by Mr Justice White.
Mr Justice White will preside over a sentence hearing on October 14th when he will hear evidence relating to the robbery conviction and capital murder. The maximum sentence for robbery is life while the minimum for capital murder is 40 years.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--An Garda Síochána criticised for Irish-language law non-compliance

An Garda Síochána may be reported to the Houses of the Oireachtas over a failure to increase the number of gardaí capable of conducting their duties through Irish in Gaeltacht areas , An Coimisinéir Teanga has warned .
A monitoring report published on Wednesday found there was a “ lack of progress ” on recommendations made as far back as 2011 to ensure the provision of services to the public through Irish in Gaeltacht areas .
Only 35 gardaí with Irish are stationed in Gaeltacht stations , according to the organisation ’ s self-assessment system , An Coimisinéir Teanga said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a total of 99 gardaí stationed in Gaeltacht areas .
An Coimisinéir Teanga Rónán Ó Domhnaill , who is appointed to monitor compliance with language legislation by the State and its agencies , said it was “ especially regrettable ” that recommendations made following a 2011 investigation into the force by his office have not been implemented .
That investigation found the force was in breach of the Garda Síochána Act , which states the Garda Commissioner shall , to the extent practicable , ensure that gardaí are sufficiently competent in Irish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility when carrying out their duties when stationed in Gaeltacht areas .
Numerous communications have occurred between the office and An Garda Síochána on the matter since that investigation took place .
An Coimisinéir Teanga met Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in March 2019 to discuss what actions the force would take .
Eight actionable measures were outlined in a letter by Ó Domhnaill following that meeting .
Responses received from An Garda Síochána almost seven months later “ were characterised by no time frames , vagueness or conditional understandings ” , Mr Ó @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I would estimate that I have more dealings with An Garda Síochána than with any other public body as regards the implementation of recommendations , ” he told The Irish Times .
“ They have communicated with us and they have spoken about plans and policies .
But it is not translating , for whatever reason , into an increase in gardaí in the Gaeltacht , which is where their statutory engagement lies , ” he added .
“ They are not showing that the recommendations are being implemented.
” Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this lack of progress ” is that a report on the matter will be placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas .
“ Under the Official Languages Act , if recommendations made in an investigation are not being implemented I am obliged to report that to the Houses of the Oireachtas .
It is a very serious step , but at this stage it would seem that it is a step I would have to take because of a lack of progress.
” Among other areas examined in the monitoring report was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the failure of the Eircode system to use Irish placenames in Gaeltacht areas .
An Coimisinéir Teanga ’ s office has received more complaints on this subject than on any other single matter since it was established in 2004 .
Mr Ó Domhnaill said he notified the department in April 2019 that complaints were still being received from members of the public regarding private bodies using their addresses in English .
An Post stated in November 2019 that English forms of Gaeltacht addresses could not be removed from its database as they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While An Coimisinéir Teanga said the department had made “ a genuine effort to achieve a solution ” by attempting to get An Post to amend the addresses in its database so that every relevant Gaeltacht placename is in Irish only , he said these efforts “ have been to no avail ” .
“ As a result , Gaeltacht place names continue to be used in English by Eircode.
” Mr Ó Domhnaill also said he hoped that the strengthening of the Official Languages Bill would rectify the situation whereby he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do with the status or use of an official language in other pieces of legislation such as the Education Act , the Planning and Development Act and the Broadcasting Act .

‘I would estimate that I have more dealings with An Garda Síochána than with any other public body as regards the implementation of recommendations.’ Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
An Garda Síochána may be reported to the Houses of the Oireachtas over a failure to increase the number of gardaí capable of conducting their duties through Irish in Gaeltacht areas, An Coimisinéir Teanga has warned.
A monitoring report published on Wednesday found there was a “lack of progress” on recommendations made as far back as 2011 to ensure the provision of services to the public through Irish in Gaeltacht areas.
Only 35 gardaí with Irish are stationed in Gaeltacht stations, according to the organisation’s self-assessment system, An Coimisinéir Teanga said. This represents just over a third of a total of 99 gardaí stationed in Gaeltacht areas.
An Coimisinéir Teanga Rónán Ó Domhnaill, who is appointed to monitor compliance with language legislation by the State and its agencies, said it was “especially regrettable” that recommendations made following a 2011 investigation into the force by his office have not been implemented.
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That investigation found the force was in breach of the Garda Síochána Act, which states the Garda Commissioner shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that gardaí are sufficiently competent in Irish to enable them to use it with facility when carrying out their duties when stationed in Gaeltacht areas.
Numerous communications have occurred between the office and An Garda Síochána on the matter since that investigation took place.
Eight measures
An Coimisinéir Teanga met Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in March 2019 to discuss what actions the force would take. Eight actionable measures were outlined in a letter by Ó Domhnaill following that meeting.
Responses received from An Garda Síochána almost seven months later “were characterised by no time frames, vagueness or conditional understandings”, Mr Ó Domhnaill wrote in today’s report.
“I would estimate that I have more dealings with An Garda Síochána than with any other public body as regards the implementation of recommendations,” he told The Irish Times.
“They have communicated with us and they have spoken about plans and policies. But it is not translating, for whatever reason, into an increase in gardaí in the Gaeltacht, which is where their statutory engagement lies,” he added.
“They are not showing that the recommendations are being implemented.”
Mr Ó Domhnaill said “the likely outcome of this lack of progress” is that a report on the matter will be placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
“Under the Official Languages Act, if recommendations made in an investigation are not being implemented I am obliged to report that to the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is a very serious step, but at this stage it would seem that it is a step I would have to take because of a lack of progress.”
Eircode placenames
Among other areas examined in the monitoring report was how the Department of Communications was addressing the failure of the Eircode system to use Irish placenames in Gaeltacht areas.
An Coimisinéir Teanga’s office has received more complaints on this subject than on any other single matter since it was established in 2004.
Mr Ó Domhnaill said he notified the department in April 2019 that complaints were still being received from members of the public regarding private bodies using their addresses in English.
An Post stated in November 2019 that English forms of Gaeltacht addresses could not be removed from its database as they were required to ensure correct delivery of letters.
While An Coimisinéir Teanga said the department had made “a genuine effort to achieve a solution” by attempting to get An Post to amend the addresses in its database so that every relevant Gaeltacht placename is in Irish only, he said these efforts “have been to no avail”.
“As a result, Gaeltacht place names continue to be used in English by Eircode.”
Mr Ó Domhnaill also said he hoped that the strengthening of the Official Languages Bill would rectify the situation whereby he was unable to proactively monitor any provision to do with the status or use of an official language in other pieces of legislation such as the Education Act, the Planning and Development Act and the Broadcasting Act.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Covid-19 testing under scrutiny after meat factories and creche affected

Once again , the testing regime in place for Covid-19 is under scrutiny .
Families with children attending a creche closed by an outbreak in Co Meath say they have been waiting a week for results .
Meat factories have brought in private labs to process tests performed on staff in order to speed up the delivery of results .
The Irish Times is anecdotally aware of several cases where people say they have been four days waiting for results .
Asked last week about the performance of its testing system , the HSE said the median time for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one day .
The median “ end to end ” turnaround time for testing and contact tracing was 1.8 days , a spokesman told The Irish Times .
On the face of these official figures , the system is performing solidly though not spectacularly .
But do the figures tell the whole story ?
The figures are an aggregate of the median times for community and hospital lab testing .
Healthcare workers and hospital patients generally have their tests processed in hospital labs .
These are completed faster because they are for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have been in place long before this crisis erupted .
In contrast , testing in the community follows a procedure put in place in a time of crisis , with a large number of intermediate steps .
This process takes longer ; 23 hours on average , compared to 16 hours for hospital labs , according to the most up- to- date figures from the HSE ’ s performance dashboard .
But this overall figure for the performance of community testing is an average so , inevitably , there are outliers where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back .
Last month , according to National Public Health Emergency Team correspondence , 90 per cent of tests were being completed within three days .
This begs the questions of what “ completed ” means , and what happens with the other 10 per cent of cases ?
How long do they have to wait ?
It is hard to judge , because the publicly available information is scanty .
The same HSE dashboard puts the mean time for tracing all contacts of a case at 1.3 days currently , and estimates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at six .
There are also delays at the start and end of the process , caused by people waiting before seeking advice about their symptoms and by delays in relaying the results of lab tests to those affected .
If there is a real problem , it is not caused by bandwith issues .
Earlier this year , at the height of the crisis , the system could not cope with the volume of people requiring a test , even when the test criteria were narrowed artificially to lessen some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Germany for testing because the Irish system lacked capacity .
That , we are told , is no longer the case and it is certainly true the 100,000 tests-a-week capacity has never been used .
In mid-June , just 18,000 tests a week were being performed , rising to 50,000 in mid-July as serial testing of staff in nursing homes and other residential care facilities was undertaken .
The figure has tailed off since and at the end of July just 27,000 tests were being conducted – one-quarter of available capacity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not using the capacity that is there for wider testing , particularly given the increased awareness of the role of asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 .
Demand for testing will now increase in coming weeks thanks to the crisis in the meat processing industry and the decision to begin serial testing there and in direct provision centres and , once again , in nursing homes .
On Tuesday , the talk was of moving away from a New Zealand-style elimination strategy and toward Germany ’ s “ business as usual ” approach .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this change it will have to replicate Germany ’ s success in rolling out massive and widespread testing .
In Germany , private as well as public labs were encouraged to develop capacity early on and , today , free tests are being offered to holidaymakers arriving home from Covid-19 “ hotspots ” .
This is being done to benefit public health even though ministers acknowledge the travellers should be paying for the test themselves .
But with the carrot comes the stick ; travellers have to take the test and quarantine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negative result .

A traveller gets a swab sample collected at a Covid-19 walk-in test centre at the Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne: travellers have to take the test and quarantine is a legal requirement until they get a negative result. Photograph: EPA/Sascha Steinbach
Once again, the testing regime in place for Covid-19 is under scrutiny.
Families with children attending a creche closed by an outbreak in Co Meath say they have been waiting a week for results. Meat factories have brought in private labs to process tests performed on staff in order to speed up the delivery of results. The Irish Times is anecdotally aware of several cases where people say they have been four days waiting for results.
Asked last week about the performance of its testing system, the HSE said the median time for all its tests from swab to result was one day.
The median “end to end” turnaround time for testing and contact tracing was 1.8 days, a spokesman told The Irish Times.
READ MORE
On the face of these official figures, the system is performing solidly though not spectacularly. But do the figures tell the whole story?
The figures are an aggregate of the median times for community and hospital lab testing. Healthcare workers and hospital patients generally have their tests processed in hospital labs. These are completed faster because they are for the most part located nearby and use systems that have been in place long before this crisis erupted.
In contrast, testing in the community follows a procedure put in place in a time of crisis, with a large number of intermediate steps. This process takes longer; 23 hours on average, compared to 16 hours for hospital labs, according to the most up- to- date figures from the HSE’s performance dashboard.
But this overall figure for the performance of community testing is an average so, inevitably, there are outliers where it takes longer for results to come back. Last month, according to National Public Health Emergency Team correspondence, 90 per cent of tests were being completed within three days.
This begs the questions of what “completed” means, and what happens with the other 10 per cent of cases? How long do they have to wait?
It is hard to judge, because the publicly available information is scanty. The same HSE dashboard puts the mean time for tracing all contacts of a case at 1.3 days currently, and estimates the average number of contacts per case at six.
There are also delays at the start and end of the process, caused by people waiting before seeking advice about their symptoms and by delays in relaying the results of lab tests to those affected.
If there is a real problem, it is not caused by bandwith issues. Earlier this year, at the height of the crisis, the system could not cope with the volume of people requiring a test, even when the test criteria were narrowed artificially to lessen some of the strain. Samples had to be sent to Germany for testing because the Irish system lacked capacity.
That, we are told, is no longer the case and it is certainly true the 100,000 tests-a-week capacity has never been used.
In mid-June, just 18,000 tests a week were being performed, rising to 50,000 in mid-July as serial testing of staff in nursing homes and other residential care facilities was undertaken. The figure has tailed off since and at the end of July just 27,000 tests were being conducted – one-quarter of available capacity.
It is hard to understand why we are not using the capacity that is there for wider testing, particularly given the increased awareness of the role of asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19.
Demand for testing will now increase in coming weeks thanks to the crisis in the meat processing industry and the decision to begin serial testing there and in direct provision centres and, once again, in nursing homes.
On Tuesday, the talk was of moving away from a New Zealand-style elimination strategy and toward Germany’s “business as usual” approach. But if the Government is serious about this change it will have to replicate Germany’s success in rolling out massive and widespread testing.
In Germany, private as well as public labs were encouraged to develop capacity early on and, today, free tests are being offered to holidaymakers arriving home from Covid-19 “hotspots”. This is being done to benefit public health even though ministers acknowledge the travellers should be paying for the test themselves.
But with the carrot comes the stick; travellers have to take the test and quarantine is a legal requirement until they get a negative result.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Majority of parents believe children now face mix of classroom and home schooling

Over a fifth ( 22 per cent ) of Irish parents have experienced a reduction in household income due to Covid-19 .
A similar number ( 21 per cent ) have found that the extra cost of feeding their children when home-schooling had the biggest effect on household finances As to going back to school , 59 per cent of parents believed there will be a mix of home schooling and classroom for the new term while nearly half ( 49 per cent ) said they would carefully consider the measures put in place in schools before deciding whether to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The findings come from the annual Republic of Ireland school-costs survey commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions and carried out by i-Reach Insights last June when 948 parents of school going children were surveyed .
Upwards of 42 per cent of the parents worried about their child ’ s mental health for the upcoming term if they did not return to school in a full-time classroom setting , with a further 41 per cent concerned about their children catching up on missed teaching .
Forty-two per cent of parents also were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind in class as a result of home-schooling during the lockdown , while 23 per cent said they would struggle with returning to work if schools do not reopen fully .
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown last March , 36 per cent of parents believed their children were spending too much time watching TV or on mobile devices ( 32 per cent ) as a result of being home-schooled .
A third of parents ( 33 per cent ) also believed their children were missing their friends from school and might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quarter ( 27 per cent ) of the parents surveyed were getting into debt to cover the costs of back to school .
While this figure is down from 36 per cent in 2019 , the average debt parents find themselves in has increased by €40 from €357 to €397 .
Spend on school items for primary school students at €1,123 , is up €174 from last year , while in secondary schools , parents ’ average spend is €1,467 , up €68 on last year .
The top expense in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after-school care , at an average of €200 , up from €117 in 2019 .
For second-level parents the biggest expense is books at €196 , which is down from €220 last year .
More positively , 66 per cent of parents said that covering the cost of back to school is a financial burden , down from 78 per cent last year , while 37 per cent consider back-to-school costs a main concern in getting their children ready for the new term .
This is down from 50 per cent in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per cent of parents now shop online for school supplies , a huge rise of 15 per cent from 2019 .
Over a third ( 34 per cent ) cut back on family holidays to cover back-to-school costs , with a quarter cutting back on summer camps .

Upwards of 42 per cent of the parents worried about their child’s mental health for the upcoming term if they did not return to school in a full-time classroom setting, with a further 41 per cent concerned about their children catching up on missed teaching. Photograph: iStock
Over a fifth (22 per cent) of Irish parents have experienced a reduction in household income due to Covid-19. A similar number (21 per cent) have found that the extra cost of feeding their children when home-schooling had the biggest effect on household finances
As to going back to school, 59 per cent of parents believed there will be a mix of home schooling and classroom for the new term while nearly half (49 per cent) said they would carefully consider the measures put in place in schools before deciding whether to send their children back to school.
The findings come from the annual Republic of Ireland school-costs survey commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions and carried out by i-Reach Insights last June when 948 parents of school going children were surveyed.
Upwards of 42 per cent of the parents worried about their child’s mental health for the upcoming term if they did not return to school in a full-time classroom setting, with a further 41 per cent concerned about their children catching up on missed teaching.
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Forty-two per cent of parents also were concerned that their children might have fallen behind in class as a result of home-schooling during the lockdown, while 23 per cent said they would struggle with returning to work if schools do not reopen fully.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown last March, 36 per cent of parents believed their children were spending too much time watching TV or on mobile devices (32 per cent) as a result of being home-schooled. A third of parents (33 per cent) also believed their children were missing their friends from school and might be lonely as a result.
Over a quarter (27 per cent) of the parents surveyed were getting into debt to cover the costs of back to school. While this figure is down from 36 per cent in 2019, the average debt parents find themselves in has increased by €40 from €357 to €397.
Spend on school items for primary school students at €1,123, is up €174 from last year, while in secondary schools, parents’ average spend is €1,467, up €68 on last year.
The top expense in 2020 for parents of primary school children is after-school care, at an average of €200, up from €117 in 2019. For second-level parents the biggest expense is books at €196, which is down from €220 last year.
More positively, 66 per cent of parents said that covering the cost of back to school is a financial burden, down from 78 per cent last year, while 37 per cent consider back-to-school costs a main concern in getting their children ready for the new term. This is down from 50 per cent in 2019.
It was also found that 66 per cent of parents now shop online for school supplies, a huge rise of 15 per cent from 2019. Over a third (34 per cent) cut back on family holidays to cover back-to-school costs, with a quarter cutting back on summer camps.


theirishtimes--2020-08-12--Newborns may be at risk due to pressure on hospitals, warn consultants

Consultants have warned vulnerable newborn babies could become the casualties of pressures on hospital as backlogs caused by Covid-19 persist .
Four neonatal units do not have adequate isolation facilities , with neonatal cots being placed too close together , increasing the risk of cross-infection between infants in these units , according to a recent report .
The Irish Hospital Consultants ’ Association says these isolation facilities are now critical for managing care for infants and parents in a Covid-19 environment in line with international guidelines .
Infants of Covid-19-infected or Covid-19-suspected mothers should initially be isolated if they require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to international best practice .
About one in 10 newborns requires admission to a neonatal unit .
However , without adequate investment to create the additional space , consultants warn that the risk of transmission of infection will remain dangerously high .
“ Having a baby is one of the most momentous experiences of anybody ’ s life , and if you add a huge stressor like giving birth at 25 weeks into that , it ’ s full of uncertainty and worry , ” according to Dr Michael Boyle , consultant neonatologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There are significant challenges such as access to intensive care beds .
We would occasionally find that we are unable to accept a referral from another hospital because we don ’ t have the space or the staff to care for them and that is an awful position to be in .
“ We are firefighting , we ’ re dealing with the issues as they present on the day .
It ’ s a challenge to improve a service when you can ’ t focus on the longer-term elements that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues in Ireland ’ s neonatal services are further compounded by severe consultant shortages , the IHCA claims .
None of the specialist maternity hospitals – the National Maternity Hospital , Rotunda , Coombe Woman and Infants University Hospital , and Cork University Maternity Hospital – have achieved the recommended levels of staffing , according to inspectors .
Difficulties and delays in recruitment are impacting the implementation of maternity policy , the group says .
Ireland has a lower number of consultant paediatricians on a population basis ( 5.4 per 100,000 ) than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zealand .
The IHCA is calling on the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive to immediately fill hundreds of permanent hospital consultant posts and fast-track the opening of thousands of beds needed across the health system .

Consultants have warned vulnerable newborn babies could become the casualties of pressures on hospital as backlogs caused by Covid-19 persist.
Four neonatal units do not have adequate isolation facilities, with neonatal cots being placed too close together, increasing the risk of cross-infection between infants in these units, according to a recent report.
The Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association says these isolation facilities are now critical for managing care for infants and parents in a Covid-19 environment in line with international guidelines.
Infants of Covid-19-infected or Covid-19-suspected mothers should initially be isolated if they require admission to a neonatal unit, according to international best practice. About one in 10 newborns requires admission to a neonatal unit.
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However, without adequate investment to create the additional space, consultants warn that the risk of transmission of infection will remain dangerously high.
‘Huge stressor’
"Having a baby is one of the most momentous experiences of anybody's life, and if you add a huge stressor like giving birth at 25 weeks into that, it's full of uncertainty and worry," according to Dr Michael Boyle, consultant neonatologist at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.
“There are significant challenges such as access to intensive care beds. We would occasionally find that we are unable to accept a referral from another hospital because we don’t have the space or the staff to care for them and that is an awful position to be in.
“We are firefighting, we’re dealing with the issues as they present on the day. It’s a challenge to improve a service when you can’t focus on the longer-term elements that you’d like to develop.”
Staffing levels
Capacity issues in Ireland’s neonatal services are further compounded by severe consultant shortages, the IHCA claims.
None of the specialist maternity hospitals – the National Maternity Hospital, Rotunda, Coombe Woman and Infants University Hospital, and Cork University Maternity Hospital – have achieved the recommended levels of staffing, according to inspectors. Difficulties and delays in recruitment are impacting the implementation of maternity policy, the group says.
Ireland has a lower number of consultant paediatricians on a population basis (5.4 per 100,000) than England, Scotland, Australia or New Zealand.
The IHCA is calling on the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive to immediately fill hundreds of permanent hospital consultant posts and fast-track the opening of thousands of beds needed across the health system.


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--Covid-19: Meat sector wants quick test turnaround for its workers

The meat industry wants a 24-hour turnaround for Covid-19 tests taken on its workforce in Ireland as part of a new testing protocol being developed by the Government , The Irish Times has learned .
In opening remarks to be delivered to the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee on Thursday , representatives of lobby group Meat Industry Ireland ( MII ) will say the proposed new testing arrangements will “ only work to keep people safe while maintaining business continuity ” if several steps are taken .
These include “ a speedy and efficient sampling system , with test results returned within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
At present the Health Service Executive obtains test results in an average of 0.9 days .
But this average is reduced by the fast-track hospital system which enables results for healthcare workers to be delivered in a little over 17 hours .
The average time for a community test sample result is just under 27 hours .
The meat industry is also asking that “ clear and unambiguous advance communication of the screening test protocols ” is delivered and that there is “ an effective track and trace system ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ in this latest outbreak there has been a rush to blame and complain that nothing has been done to mitigate and prevent the virus spread in this industrial setting .
Nothing could be further from the truth.
” The opening remarks will also reveal that a joint piece of research is being undertaken by MII and the Department of Agriculture to examine whether there are conditions within the meat plant environment that accelerate the spread of Covid-19 .
The committee will hear that in the two-month period up to August 4th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerged in MII members ’ facilities .

Kildare Chilling on the outskirts of Kildare town, where a significant outbreak of Covid-19 occurred among employees. Photograph: Laura Hutton/The Irish Times
The meat industry wants a 24-hour turnaround for Covid-19 tests taken on its workforce in Ireland as part of a new testing protocol being developed by the Government, The Irish Times has learned.
In opening remarks to be delivered to the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee on Thursday, representatives of lobby group Meat Industry Ireland (MII) will say the proposed new testing arrangements will "only work to keep people safe while maintaining business continuity" if several steps are taken. These include "a speedy and efficient sampling system, with test results returned within 24 hours of the sample being taken".
At present the Health Service Executive obtains test results in an average of 0.9 days. But this average is reduced by the fast-track hospital system which enables results for healthcare workers to be delivered in a little over 17 hours. The average time for a community test sample result is just under 27 hours.
‘Blame and complain’
The meat industry is also asking that “clear and unambiguous advance communication of the screening test protocols” is delivered and that there is “an effective track and trace system” in place.
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The industry group will say that “in this latest outbreak there has been a rush to blame and complain that nothing has been done to mitigate and prevent the virus spread in this industrial setting. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
The opening remarks will also reveal that a joint piece of research is being undertaken by MII and the Department of Agriculture to examine whether there are conditions within the meat plant environment that accelerate the spread of Covid-19.
The committee will hear that in the two-month period up to August 4th, five additional cases of Covid-19 had emerged in MII members’ facilities.


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--Gardaí are confident others will face justice over killing of Det Adrian Donohoe

Evidence has been secured that directly links other south Armagh men to the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe , and senior Garda officers are confident the conviction of Aaron Brady ( 29 ) on Wednesday will be followed by other trials .
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the Garda investigation would be “ relentless ” .
Deputy Commissioner John Twomey warned the other members of the murder gang that “ we ’ ll be knocking on your door ” , adding no border would protect them .
Brady , New Road , Crossmaglen , Co Armagh , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murder of Det Garda Donohoe by an 11 to one majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court .
Det Garda Donohoe , a 41-year-old married father of two , was shot dead on January 25th , 2013 , as he stepped from his Garda car after he and a colleague arrived at Lordship Credit Union , Bellurgan , Co Louth , to provide an armed cash escort for staff carrying cash .
On Wednesday following the conviction , Caroline Donohoe , the widow of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe , thanked the jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was very thankful Brady had been found guilty .
“ I would like to most sincerely thank the jury for sticking with this trial for so long , and to my Garda colleagues and to the prosecution team , ” she said , adding she was issuing her thanks on behalf of her son and daughter , Niall and Amy .
Also speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice on Wednesday , Garda Colm Donohoe paid tribute to his brother ’ s Garda colleagues in Dundalk .
Brady ’ s conviction for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was also convicted of stealing €7,000 from the credit union and is due to be sentenced in October for both the murder and robbery .
The Irish Times understands technical evidence relating to the other suspects ’ telephone activity and their movements on the day of the murder has been gathered as well as CCTV footage linking some of the suspects to the crime scene and to Brady on the day .
The evidence in relation to one of the suspects is especially strong and gardaí believe he will be convicted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to one source , also “ quietly confident ” about the prospects of convicting other gang members and those who helped them after the murder .
A separate criminal investigation is also under way into efforts during the trial to intimidate witnesses .
At one point a video of a witness being interviewed by gardaí was shared on social media with messages branding him a “ rat ” for “ touting ” .
That man , and four other witnesses , did not give evidence at trial and gardaí believe a significant campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four people who were with Brady , the gunman , on the night of the murder , are all from south Armagh and were members of a gang involved in armed robberies , ATM thefts and the theft of plant machinery .
At least two of the men have lived in the United States for most of the time since the murder and currently reside in a major city on the east coast .
Some of the suspects have also spent periods in Britain and Australia since the botched armed robbery and murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two of the four suspects have citizenship for another country .

29-year-old Aaron Brady from Crossmaglen has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25th, 2013. Video: Conor Lally
Evidence has been secured that directly links other south Armagh men to the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe, and senior Garda officers are confident the conviction of Aaron Brady (29) on Wednesday will be followed by other trials.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the Garda investigation would be “relentless”. Deputy Commissioner John Twomey warned the other members of the murder gang that “we’ll be knocking on your door”, adding no border would protect them.
Brady, New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, was on Wednesday found guilty of the capital murder of Det Garda Donohoe by an 11 to one majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.
Det Garda Donohoe, a 41-year-old married father of two, was shot dead on January 25th, 2013, as he stepped from his Garda car after he and a colleague arrived at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth, to provide an armed cash escort for staff carrying cash.
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On Wednesday following the conviction, Caroline Donohoe, the widow of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe, thanked the jury in the trial.
Ms Donohoe said she was very thankful Brady had been found guilty.
“I would like to most sincerely thank the jury for sticking with this trial for so long, and to my Garda colleagues and to the prosecution team,” she said, adding she was issuing her thanks on behalf of her son and daughter, Niall and Amy. Also speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, Garda Colm Donohoe paid tribute to his brother’s Garda colleagues in Dundalk.
Brady’s conviction for capital murder carries a 40-year sentence. He was also convicted of stealing €7,000 from the credit union and is due to be sentenced in October for both the murder and robbery.
Aaron Brady is due to be sentenced in October for both the murder and robbery. Photograph: Collins Courts
Technical evidence
The Irish Times understands technical evidence relating to the other suspects’ telephone activity and their movements on the day of the murder has been gathered as well as CCTV footage linking some of the suspects to the crime scene and to Brady on the day.
The evidence in relation to one of the suspects is especially strong and gardaí believe he will be convicted in the future. Gardaí were, according to one source, also “quietly confident” about the prospects of convicting other gang members and those who helped them after the murder.
A separate criminal investigation is also under way into efforts during the trial to intimidate witnesses. At one point a video of a witness being interviewed by gardaí was shared on social media with messages branding him a “rat” for “touting”. That man, and four other witnesses, did not give evidence at trial and gardaí believe a significant campaign was run to intimidate witnesses.
The four people who were with Brady, the gunman, on the night of the murder, are all from south Armagh and were members of a gang involved in armed robberies, ATM thefts and the theft of plant machinery.
At least two of the men have lived in the United States for most of the time since the murder and currently reside in a major city on the east coast. Some of the suspects have also spent periods in Britain and Australia since the botched armed robbery and murder seven and a half years ago. Two of the four suspects have citizenship for another country.


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--Covid app results in at least 370 notifications to close contacts of positive cases

A total of 370 notifications have been sent by the Health Service Executive to close contacts of those diagnosed with Covid-19 since the new smartphone app for Covid-19 was launched in June .
The real figure for notifications is probably substantially higher as 20-25 per cent of the 1.5 million people who have downloaded the app have opted out of metrics for personal privacy reasons .
While notifications are sent to that group of people if they are in close contact with a person diagnosed with Covid-19 , the notifications are not recorded as metrics on the HSE database .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said the app has been a success both in the high uptake of users , as well as in performing the function of contacting close apps .
He said the app was not standalone but formed part of what he called the HSE arsenal to try to get the virus under control .
The primary tool for contact tracing was for the person diagnosed to identify their close contacts and for contact tracers to call those people .
With the app using Bluetooth technology to identify people who have been in close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mr Thomson said there was often an overlap between the two systems .
Asked did the 370 known notifications represent a good return , Mr Thompson said it was very difficult to answer that question .
He said the app worked best in terms of community transmission and a lot of the cases at present were complex cases and clusters in work settings .
Many of the workers in meat plants are immigrants for whom English is not their first language and who might not access Irish media outlets as a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the app will try to reach more people .
It will have more languages built in , including eastern European languages , Portuguese and Spanish.
” The next version could also offer more interoperability .
This version is fully interoperable with Northern Ireland , which uses the same app platform .
The newer versions will look to work seamlessly with more jurisdictions .
Mr Thompson said it would also be more dynamic in terms of presentation and the information included .
The level of uptake in Ireland has been much higher than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said this was because it was released when there was a high level of anxiety about the virus and all those in leadership positions in society pushed collectively to encourage people to download it .
Asked if the level of uptake was at an optimal level , he said a figure of 60 per cent of population reach had been suggested at the start of the outbreak , but without much evidence .
“ What is important about the app is that it supports , but does not replace , contact tracing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing is at the core of the operation and it will never be superseded by the app .
”

A total of 370 notifications have been sent by the Health Service Executive to close contacts of those diagnosed with Covid-19 since the new smartphone app for Covid-19 was launched in June.
The real figure for notifications is probably substantially higher as 20-25 per cent of the 1.5 million people who have downloaded the app have opted out of metrics for personal privacy reasons.
While notifications are sent to that group of people if they are in close contact with a person diagnosed with Covid-19, the notifications are not recorded as metrics on the HSE database.
Fran Thompson, interim chief information officer, said the app has been a success both in the high uptake of users, as well as in performing the function of contacting close apps.
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He said the app was not standalone but formed part of what he called the HSE arsenal to try to get the virus under control.
The primary tool for contact tracing was for the person diagnosed to identify their close contacts and for contact tracers to call those people. With the app using Bluetooth technology to identify people who have been in close proximity to those who have been diagnosed, Mr Thomson said there was often an overlap between the two systems.
Asked did the 370 known notifications represent a good return, Mr Thompson said it was very difficult to answer that question.
Complex cases
He said the app worked best in terms of community transmission and a lot of the cases at present were complex cases and clusters in work settings. Many of the workers in meat plants are immigrants for whom English is not their first language and who might not access Irish media outlets as a matter of course.
“The next version of the app will try to reach more people. It will have more languages built in, including eastern European languages, Portuguese and Spanish.”
The next version could also offer more interoperability. This version is fully interoperable with Northern Ireland, which uses the same app platform. The newer versions will look to work seamlessly with more jurisdictions.
Mr Thompson said it would also be more dynamic in terms of presentation and the information included.
The level of uptake in Ireland has been much higher than in many other countries. Mr Thompson said this was because it was released when there was a high level of anxiety about the virus and all those in leadership positions in society pushed collectively to encourage people to download it.
Asked if the level of uptake was at an optimal level, he said a figure of 60 per cent of population reach had been suggested at the start of the outbreak, but without much evidence.
“What is important about the app is that it supports, but does not replace, contact tracing,” he said. “Manual contact tracing is at the core of the operation and it will never be superseded by the app.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--State to investigate claims of bogus employment practices in meat sector

The Department of Social Protection has said it will investigate claims made by Siptu of alleged bogus self-employment and sub-contracting in the meat sector .
The union alleges employment practices in Irish meat plants are depriving the State of tax revenue and leaving workers without key pandemic-linked illness and unemployment benefits .
The claims are contained in an opening statement to be delivered to the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee on Thursday , in which the union calls for an end to the practice of “ hot-bedding ” , or the use of the same bed by meat sector workers on alternate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plant workers are sharing “ rooms /accommodation ” in one Midlands town , Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis will tell the hearing , convened to examine recent large Covid-19 outbreaks in meat plants in the Midlands .
Mr Ennis claims “ so-called ‘ sole traders ’ [ are ] working in Irish meat plants , paying tax in Poland , with employers avoiding PRSI contributions , workers missing out on leave and welfare benefits , and the State being denuded of tax revenue ” .
Without being registered and having a PPS number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits or the pandemic unemployment payment .
Asked about the claims by Mr Ennis , the Department of Social Protection said on Wednesday night that if the union wished to provide information , it would examine each case .
A department spokeswoman said where a worker was posted from abroad , the employer was obliged to notify the Workplace Relations Commission .
There have been no such notifications from meat factories in 2020 .
Meanwhile , public health officials have defended the blanket re-imposition of travel restrictions in three Midlands counties following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the workers at the three plants in counties Kildare , Offaly and Laois live in these counties , according to acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn .
He was responding to criticism that the measures were too widely spread and could have been limited to the towns where the plants are situated .
While agreeing the restrictions were a “ blunt instrument ” , Dr Glynn said there was a “ misperception ” that all of the cases were located close to the processing plants where the workers were employed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties for a reason , he said , adding that cases of the virus had occurred in Birr , Ferbane , Clara , Tullamore , Edenderry , Maynooth , Clane , Newbridge , Athy , Durrow and Abbeyleix in recent days .
“ People work in a particular place but they live and socialise and meet people all across these counties , ” Dr Glynn told the National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) briefing on Wednesday .
He warned people living in adjacent counties to also be on their guard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magic about a county border that protects you ” .
NPHET reported another 40 confirmed cases on Wednesday , including 12 in Dublin , 11 in Kildare , seven in Offaly and none in Laois .
However , Dr Glynn warned there were likely to be days over the next week when the number of cases was “ significantly higher ” .
Prof Philip Nolan , chairman of a NPHET advisory group , pointed out the 40 new cases “ seems low ” only when seen through the prism of the large numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wednesday ’ s caseload was still two to three times higher than the number of cases being reported in late June , he said .
The reproduction number , a measure of how much the virus is being transmitted , had dropped from 1.8 last week to an estimated 1.6 this week , he reported .
Seventy per cent of cases over the past 14 days occurred in the large Midlands clusters , with fewer than 10 cases a day of community transmission .
However , there had been smaller outbreaks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carlow , he said .
Meanwhile , Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government ’ s aim was to “ flatten the curve ” and to minimise the risk of the health service being overwhelmed until either herd immunity was developed , “ which would take an extremely long time ” or , more likely , a vaccine was developed .

The meat processing industry contains "unrivaled vectors for the transmission of Covid-19", with around 90 per cent of workers in the industry not receiving sick pay, Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis has told the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee.
The Department of Social Protection has said it will investigate claims made by Siptu of alleged bogus self-employment and sub-contracting in the meat sector.
The union alleges employment practices in Irish meat plants are depriving the State of tax revenue and leaving workers without key pandemic-linked illness and unemployment benefits.
The claims are contained in an opening statement to be delivered to the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee on Thursday, in which the union calls for an end to the practice of “hot-bedding”, or the use of the same bed by meat sector workers on alternate shifts.
More than 40 migrant meat plant workers are sharing “rooms /accommodation” in one Midlands town, Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis will tell the hearing, convened to examine recent large Covid-19 outbreaks in meat plants in the Midlands.
READ MORE
Mr Ennis claims “so-called ‘sole traders’ [are] working in Irish meat plants, paying tax in Poland, with employers avoiding PRSI contributions, workers missing out on leave and welfare benefits, and the State being denuded of tax revenue”.
Without being registered and having a PPS number, workers are ineligible for enhanced illness benefits or the pandemic unemployment payment.
Asked about the claims by Mr Ennis, the Department of Social Protection said on Wednesday night that if the union wished to provide information, it would examine each case.
A department spokeswoman said where a worker was posted from abroad, the employer was obliged to notify the Workplace Relations Commission. There have been no such notifications from meat factories in 2020.
Travel restrictions
Meanwhile, public health officials have defended the blanket re-imposition of travel restrictions in three Midlands counties following the outbreaks.
More than 90 per cent of the workers at the three plants in counties Kildare, Offaly and Laois live in these counties, according to acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.
He was responding to criticism that the measures were too widely spread and could have been limited to the towns where the plants are situated.
While agreeing the restrictions were a “blunt instrument”, Dr Glynn said there was a “misperception” that all of the cases were located close to the processing plants where the workers were employed.
The restrictions were applied across the three counties for a reason, he said, adding that cases of the virus had occurred in Birr, Ferbane, Clara, Tullamore, Edenderry, Maynooth, Clane, Newbridge, Athy, Durrow and Abbeyleix in recent days.
“People work in a particular place but they live and socialise and meet people all across these counties,” Dr Glynn told the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing on Wednesday. He warned people living in adjacent counties to also be on their guard, pointing out “there’s nothing magic about a county border that protects you”.
NPHET reported another 40 confirmed cases on Wednesday, including 12 in Dublin, 11 in Kildare, seven in Offaly and none in Laois.
However, Dr Glynn warned there were likely to be days over the next week when the number of cases was “significantly higher”.
Lower numbers
Prof Philip Nolan, chairman of a NPHET advisory group, pointed out the 40 new cases “seems low” only when seen through the prism of the large numbers of cases reported over the past week. Wednesday’s caseload was still two to three times higher than the number of cases being reported in late June, he said.
The reproduction number, a measure of how much the virus is being transmitted, had dropped from 1.8 last week to an estimated 1.6 this week, he reported.
Seventy per cent of cases over the past 14 days occurred in the large Midlands clusters, with fewer than 10 cases a day of community transmission.
However, there had been smaller outbreaks in counties Clare, Donegal, Wexford and Carlow, he said.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government’s aim was to “flatten the curve” and to minimise the risk of the health service being overwhelmed until either herd immunity was developed, “which would take an extremely long time” or, more likely, a vaccine was developed.


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--Coronavirus: Unions call for unannounced inspections of meat plants

The Health and Safety Authority ( HSA ) should conduct random and unannounced inspections of all meat processing facilities and they should use their extensive powers of enforcement to close these down if it is appropriate , the trade union movement has said .
In an opening statement to the Oireachtas committee on Covid-19 , general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions ( Ictu ) Patricia King said regular testing of all workers in the meat processing sector should be introduced as well as a re-assessment of the use of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) in meat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be paid where they had tested positive and were on sick leave , where they were self-isolating or in circumstances where they were laid off temporarily from their job .
Ms King criticised the HSA and said the organisation appeared to view Covid-19 “ as a public health matter and not a safety , health and welfare at work issue ” .
The HSA told the committee that since the economy and society started reopening , it had conducted 3,820 inspections/investigations , of which 2,844 addressed Covid-19 measures in the Government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ range of workplaces and industry sectors , including meat processing plants .
HSA chief executive Sharon McGuinness said inspection visits to meat processing facilities with known outbreaks “ were pre-advised at short notice to ensure that relevant management and other key personnel were available to facilitate a thorough inspection of the plants ” .
“ In the main , authority inspections are unannounced .
However , in certain circumstances , limited advance notification may be required for operational reasons .
For example , where it is essential for inspectors to meet with specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure a particular work activity is being undertaken so as to allow inspectors to observe.
” Ms McGuinness said the Department of Agriculture had a constant presence in meat processing plants and was the lead agency for this sector .
She said it was responsible for checking such plants continued to implement the guidance and prevention measures advised by the National Outbreak Control Team as well as checking compliance with the protocol .
Ms King said there was “ a major flaw ” in current regulations which the Government should swiftly rectify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She said this would provide statutory protection to workers in the face of Covid-19 .
“ The effect of its exclusion from the scope of current regulations is that the employer is not obliged to notify the HSA of incidents of employees having contracted the disease in the course of their employment .
“ Consequently , the HSA can not undertake an investigation so as to establish how it may have occurred .
Nor can it advise or give instructions on the prevention of similar occurrences.
” She said Ictu was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be supportive of this remedy ” .
The trade union Siptu told the committee that the absence of sick pay was “ forcing vulnerable workers to go into work , even if they are feeling unwell with possible Covid symptoms ” .
It maintained in an opening statement “ circa 90 per cent of workers within the industry do not have sick pay ” .
“ This is a significant contributory factor to the spread of Covid-19 within the workplace.
” Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis called for improved sick pay terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic unemployment payment to the same level as a worker ’ s normal earnings .

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) should conduct random and unannounced inspections of all meat processing facilities and they should use their extensive powers of enforcement to close these down if it is appropriate, the trade union movement has said.
In an opening statement to the Oireachtas committee on Covid-19, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) Patricia King said regular testing of all workers in the meat processing sector should be introduced as well as a re-assessment of the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in meat plants.
She said Ictu believed workers should be paid where they had tested positive and were on sick leave, where they were self-isolating or in circumstances where they were laid off temporarily from their job.
Ms King criticised the HSA and said the organisation appeared to view Covid-19 “as a public health matter and not a safety, health and welfare at work issue”.
READ MORE
The HSA told the committee that since the economy and society started reopening, it had conducted 3,820 inspections/investigations, of which 2,844 addressed Covid-19 measures in the Government’s return-to-work protocol, across a wide range of workplaces and industry sectors, including meat processing plants.
HSA chief executive Sharon McGuinness said inspection visits to meat processing facilities with known outbreaks “were pre-advised at short notice to ensure that relevant management and other key personnel were available to facilitate a thorough inspection of the plants”.
“In the main, authority inspections are unannounced. However, in certain circumstances, limited advance notification may be required for operational reasons. For example, where it is essential for inspectors to meet with specific individuals at the place of work or to ensure a particular work activity is being undertaken so as to allow inspectors to observe.”
Ms McGuinness said the Department of Agriculture had a constant presence in meat processing plants and was the lead agency for this sector. She said it was responsible for checking such plants continued to implement the guidance and prevention measures advised by the National Outbreak Control Team as well as checking compliance with the protocol.
‘Major flaw’
Ms King said there was “a major flaw” in current regulations which the Government should swiftly rectify to classify Covid-19 as an occupational injury. She said this would provide statutory protection to workers in the face of Covid-19.
“The effect of its exclusion from the scope of current regulations is that the employer is not obliged to notify the HSA of incidents of employees having contracted the disease in the course of their employment.
“Consequently, the HSA cannot undertake an investigation so as to establish how it may have occurred. Nor can it advise or give instructions on the prevention of similar occurrences.”
She said Ictu was “very dissatisfied that the HSA seems not to be supportive of this remedy”.
The trade union Siptu told the committee that the absence of sick pay was "forcing vulnerable workers to go into work, even if they are feeling unwell with possible Covid symptoms".
It maintained in an opening statement “circa 90 per cent of workers within the industry do not have sick pay”.
“This is a significant contributory factor to the spread of Covid-19 within the workplace.”
Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis called for improved sick pay terms, including for employers to top up the pandemic unemployment payment to the same level as a worker's normal earnings.


theirishtimes--2020-08-13--Covid-19: Just 983 people have self-isolated at 750-bedroom Citywest hotel

Fewer than 1,000 people have been placed in self-isolation at the 750-bedroom Citywest hotel convention centre outside Dublin , which has so far cost the State over €24.5 million since the start of the Covid-19 crisis The figure is revealed in a letter sent by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall , which detailed the use made so far of Citywest , which has room for hundreds of extra emergency beds .
Up to July 26th , the Health Service Executive ( HSE ) said 983 people had been isolated there , with 104 staying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far healthcare workers have “ predominantly ” been the ones to isolate there , the letter states .
However , the figure is likely to have increased since that date as Citywest has been used for self-isolating meat plant workers who are unable to do so where they are living .
The letter notes that “ consideration is being given to identifying alternate uses for the facility should occupancy remain low , as the contract can not be terminated before October ” .
By June , three months into the seven-month lease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , Mr Donnelly wrote that “ the balance of the funding will be required to meet contractual commitments to October ” .
Under the contract the HSE must given three month ’ s notice before quitting the lease .
Alternative “ uses ” for Citywest are now being sought “ should occupancy remain low ” since the contract can not end before October .
When the lease was originally signed at the height of fears about Covid-19 , the HSE planned to use Citywest as an emergency hospital if acute hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never reached .
Commenting on the lease , Ms Shortall said “ it is hard to understand why the Citywest hotel wasn ’ t used more extensively as an isolation facility , especially for people in high-risk settings such as direct provision ” .
“ The contract for the Citywest hotel and convention centre is very peculiar too .
Why should such a short-term contract require a four-month notice period to end ?
” So far €84 million has been spent up to July 3rd on testing and contact tracing , 37 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million .
This includes €36.8 million for around 447,000 lab tests , and €36 million on capital set-up costs , lab testing equipment , reagent supplies and other equipment .
Contact tracing has cost €6 million , an €5.2 million has been spent on swabbing in community testing centres and by the national ambulance service .

Up to July 26th, the HSE said 983 people had been isolated at the Citywest hotel and convention centre, with healthcare workers “predominantly” the ones to isolate there. Photograph: Getty Images
Fewer than 1,000 people have been placed in self-isolation at the 750-bedroom Citywest hotel convention centre outside Dublin, which has so far cost the State over €24.5 million since the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
The figure is revealed in a letter sent by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall, which detailed the use made so far of Citywest, which has room for hundreds of extra emergency beds.
Up to July 26th, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said 983 people had been isolated there, with 104 staying there on that date alone. So far healthcare workers have "predominantly" been the ones to isolate there, the letter states.
However, the figure is likely to have increased since that date as Citywest has been used for self-isolating meat plant workers who are unable to do so where they are living.
READ MORE
The letter notes that “consideration is being given to identifying alternate uses for the facility should occupancy remain low, as the contract cannot be terminated before October”.
By June, three months into the seven-month lease, Citywest had cost the State €9 million. However, Mr Donnelly wrote that “the balance of the funding will be required to meet contractual commitments to October”.
Under the contract the HSE must given three month’s notice before quitting the lease. Alternative “uses” for Citywest are now being sought “should occupancy remain low” since the contract cannot end before October.
Capacity
When the lease was originally signed at the height of fears about Covid-19, the HSE planned to use Citywest as an emergency hospital if acute hospitals were overrun. However, capacity was never reached.
Commenting on the lease, Ms Shortall said “it is hard to understand why the Citywest hotel wasn’t used more extensively as an isolation facility, especially for people in high-risk settings such as direct provision”.
“The contract for the Citywest hotel and convention centre is very peculiar too. Why should such a short-term contract require a four-month notice period to end?”
So far €84 million has been spent up to July 3rd on testing and contact tracing, 37 per cent of the approved budget of €208 million. This includes €36.8 million for around 447,000 lab tests, and €36 million on capital set-up costs, lab testing equipment, reagent supplies and other equipment.
Contact tracing has cost €6 million, an €5.2 million has been spent on swabbing in community testing centres and by the national ambulance service.