theirishtimes--2020-09-24--New plan for Dublin’s bus network will increase services by 23%

The new redesign of Dublin ’ s bus network under the BusConnects plan has been published by the National Transport Authority ( NTA ) on Thursday .
Following three rounds of public consultation and 72,000 submissions , it is the final version of the network redesign .
The redesign of the bus network will be implemented in the greater Dublin region on a phased basis over a number of years , beginning in 2021 and “ subject to Government funding ” , the NTA said .
Minister for Climate Action , Communication Networks and Transport Eamon Ryan said BusConnects is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s policies to improve public transport and address climate change .
“ Bus services across Dublin needed to be redesigned to be more coherent and efficient to meet the demands for a growing city , and I am delighted we are now able to implement this new plan after extensive public consultation , ” he said .
“ The last six months have been very challenging for everyone in Dublin and across Ireland .
Bus services have provided an essential frontline service for the public and city during this time and the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service grow to meet people ’ s needs as the city recovers.
” BusConnects aims to overhaul the current bus system in the Dublin region by creating 230km of dedicated bus lanes and 200km of cycle tracks along 16 of the busiest corridors and a redesign of the network .
The NTA said the new network will see increased evening and weekend services , with most frequent routes operating every 15 minutes or better on weekdays and Saturdays , most on Sundays also .
There will be a number of routes that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the level of bus services in the Dublin network will increase by 23 per cent as a result of the new network , according to the NTA .
Tim Gaston , Director of Public Transport Services for the NTA , said the network redesign proposals have “ evolved significantly ” over the last three years .
“ The new network plan is subject to Government funding and will be implemented over a number of years and on a phased basis .
So when the city , its people and the economy recover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better bus service in place with more access to jobs , schools , shops and hospitals , ” he said .
A map of the new network is available at busconnects.ie .

Following three rounds of public consultation and 72,000 submissions, this is the final version of the network redesign. Image: National Transport Authority
A new bus network for Dublin, which will result in the first complete overhaul of the capital’s bus services with changes to all existing routes, will be implemented from next year.
Following three rounds of public consultation and 72,000 submissions, the final version of the network redesign has been published by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
The network redesign is part of the NTA’s BusConnects programme, which aims to overhaul the bus system in Dublin and has two main components: creating 230km of dedicated bus lanes in tandem with 200km of cycle tracks, and redesigning the bus network.
The provision of 16 designated bus corridors to accommodate the new network will potentially require widening roads and the loss of parking spaces, trees and parts of front gardens.
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A third round of public consultation in relation to these corridors, some of which have proved controversial, will take place later this year.
The NTA said the new network would see increased evening and weekend services, with most frequent routes operating every 15 minutes or better on weekdays and Saturdays, most on Sundays also.
There will be a number of routes that will operate 24 hours a day. Overall, the level of bus services in the Dublin network will increase by 23 per cent as a result of the new network, according to the NTA.
The network aims to create a more coherent service for the capital that will eliminate overlapping routes and improve journey times.
A lettering system from A to H will identify eight “spines” through the city, with buses running every four to eight minutes. Numbers will be used to indicate different branches of a spine. For example, while all A buses will pass through Terenure, the A1 will continue to Knocklyon while the A2 will go to Tallaght.
These spines will be complemented by 12 orbital routes (lettered O, N, S, W) for passengers who want to travel in the outskirts of the city centre and providing connections between the suburbs and town centres, along with connections to rail, Luas and other bus routes.
The spines and orbital routes are supported by a number of local routes (L), city-bound routes (1-99), peak-only routes (P) and express routes (X).
One of the fundamental principles of the plan is that taking more than one bus to reach a destination would improve accessibility and could be a quicker option. When the NTA first published its plan in July 2018, more than 50,000 submissions were made on the redesign, with more than 70 per cent objecting to the loss of existing services or having to change buses.
Under the 2018 plan, up to 15 per cent of users would have lost their direct routes to the city. However, in revised plans published last October this was reduced to 5 per cent.
The final plan does not differ substantially from the October 2019 version. The NTA said “by changing a route to fix one problem, a new problem could be potentially created elsewhere”. However, it has extended some routes, and provided additional services to schools, hospitals and public transport.
Government policy
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the plan was a key part of the Government's policies to improve public transport and address climate change.
“Bus services across Dublin needed to be redesigned to be more coherent and efficient to meet the demands for a growing city, and I am delighted we are now able to implement this new plan after extensive public consultation,” he said.
"The last six months have been very challenging for everyone in Dublin and across Ireland. Bus services have provided an essential frontline service for the public and city during this time and the new Dublin area bus network will allow the service grow to meet people's needs as the city recovers."
Reaction to the final plan has been positive. National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) general secretary Dermot O’Leary welcomed the changes made since 2018. “Despite many criticisms from the NBRU levelled at the NTA, it should be acknowledged that the final plan was crafted after it [the NTA] listened to the concerns of the Dublin Bus community.”
Consultation was vital to ensure the plan was accepted in communities, he said.
“Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities and school children will need to be assured that they will not be left isolated or abandoned as we transition to a new network.”
The redesign would be implemented on a phased basis over a number of years, beginning in 2021 and “subject to Government funding”, the NTA said.
A map of the new network is available at busconnects.ie.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Dublin’s Berlin Bar faces licence challenge after controversial brunch event

Berlin Bar in Dublin is facing a court challenge to the renewal of its licence after footage emerged last month that showed customers crowding around the bar as a man danced on it pouring drinks into their mouth .
The video was shared on social media of patrons in the popular venue on Dame Lane in Dublin city-centre .
A masked staff member danced on the bar as he poured shots into dancing customers ’ mouths during the controversial bar brunch advertised as “ A Very Boozy Baked Brunch With Your Buds ” .
The bar ’ s manager , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 20 seconds of madness ” when he commented to the media and said it did not reflect what went on that day at the venue .
However , gardaí have formally objected to the bar retaining it ’ s licence in an application which came before Judge Michael Coghlan at the Dublin District Court on Thursday .
It has been brought by Garda Inspector John Finucane from Pearse Street station .
Barrister Dorothy Collins confirmed it related to the Berlin Bar , which is operated by her client Trillium Leisure Ltd. A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was , “ on the basis of non-compliance with Covid regulations ” .
Evidence has not yet been heard .
Judge Coghlan ordered that the hearing would take place on October 28th next .
Mr Bourke was not present for the proceedings .
Judge Coghlan also acceded to request from Ms Collins to direct disclosure of full statements in relation to the various alleged breaches of the regulations by her client .
At the outset of the busy licensing court list , Judge Coghlan reminded parties in the cases that these were “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to or renewed by pubs , bars , restaurants and cafés , with pre-conditions that strict compliance will be observed , he said .
If gardaí have found there were acts of misbehaviour , “ it is not just an endorsement and a slap on the wrist , it is the loss of a licence , ” he warned .

Berlin Bar: a video of a barman hanging off the bar pouring a drink into customers’ mouths went viral. Photograph: Tom Honan
Berlin Bar in Dublin is facing a court challenge to the renewal of its licence after footage emerged last month showing customers crowding around the bar as a man danced on it pouring drinks into their mouths.
The video was shared on social media of patrons in the popular venue on Dame Lane in Dublin city centre. It showed a masked staff member dancing on the bar as he poured shots into dancing customers' mouths during the event advertised as "A very boozy baked brunch with your buds".
The bar's manager, businessman Jay Bourke, described it as "20 seconds of madness" when he commented to the media and said it did not reflect what went on that day at the venue.
However, gardaí have formally objected to the bar retaining its licence in an application which came before Judge Michael Coghlan at Dublin District Court on Thursday.
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It has been brought by Garda Inspector John Finucane from Pearse Street station.
Barrister Dorothy Collins confirmed it related to the Berlin Bar, which is operated by her client Trillium Leisure Ltd.
A Garda sergeant told Judge Coghlan the objection was “on the basis of non-compliance with Covid regulations”. Evidence has not yet been heard.
Judge Coghlan ordered that the hearing take place on October 28th.
Mr Bourke was not present for the proceedings.
Judge Coghlan also acceded to a request from Ms Collins to direct disclosure of full statements in relation to the various alleged breaches of the regulations by her client.
At the outset of the busy licensing court list, Judge Coghlan reminded parties in the cases that these were “unprecedented times”.
Licences were granted to or renewed by pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes, with pre-conditions that strict compliance would be observed, he said.
If gardaí have found there were acts of misbehaviour, “it is not just an endorsement and a slap on the wrist, it is the loss of a licence”, he warned.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--HSE winter plan: €1.5bn to be spent on PPE and 12,500 extra staff to be hired

The Health Service Executive expects to spend more than €1.5 billion on personal protective equipment against Covid-19 between now and the end of next year , according to its winter plan .
An additional €415 million is needed for the rest of this year , and a further €1.155 billion next year , although the HSE is hoping for some price reductions “ as markets soften ” .
The plan , which was unveiled in Dublin on Thursday , envisages the recruitment of an additional 12,500 staff .
More than 570 new hospital beds are to be provided under plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the rest of this year and €400 in the early months of next year .
This compares to funding of under €40 million in the HSE ’ s previous Winter Plan .
A total of 4.76 million additional home support hours above existing levels are to be provided by next April and the number of community assessment hubs is being increased from seven to 20 by March , under the plan .
Under an arrangement still being negotiated with private hospitals , it is envisaged the HSE will have access to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Covid-19 cases .
There will also be access to private hospital capacity to address the provision of ongoing care by the HSE , as well as the provision of elective care for public patients experiencing delays given the growth in waiting lists .
This initiative aims to provide 10,000 out-patients appointments , 3,000 inpatient procedures , 18,000 day-case procedures and 3,000 gastrointestinal scopes .
Planned additional bed capacity includes 251 acute beds and 89 sub-acute beds this year and an additional 232 acute beds in the first three months of next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was due to launch the plan , is unwell and did not attend .
Minister of State for mental health and older people Mary Butler said the investment of over €600 million in the winter plan showed how seriously the Government took the challenges ahead .
Ms Butler , who had a speaking engagement in the Seanad , left after her speech without taking take questions from reporters .

An additional €415 million is needed for buying PPE for the rest of this year. File photograph: Alan Betson
The Health Service Executive expects to spend more than €1.5 billion on personal protective equipment against Covid-19 between now and the end of next year, according to its winter plan.
An additional €415 million is needed for the rest of this year, and a further €1.155 billion next year, although the HSE is hoping for some price reductions “as markets soften”.
The plan, which was launched in Dublin on Thursday, envisages the recruitment of an additional 12,500 staff.
Hospital Report
Over 570 new hospital beds will also be provided under the plan.
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Additional spending of €200 million in the rest of this year and €400 million in the early months of next year is envisaged. This compares to funding of under €40 million in the HSE’s previous, pre-Covid winter plan.
With further waves of virus infection forecast, the plan predicts this will be “the most challenging winter in living memory” for the health service.
A total of 4.76 million additional home support hours above existing levels are to be provided by next April, at a cost of €138 million.
Under the plan, the number of community assessment hubs is being increased from seven to 20 by March.
Other objectives include a 30 per cent reduction in trolley numbers, quicker treatment of patients in emergency department, the completion of over 20,000 additional elective procedures and a ceiling of 450 delayed transfers of care for patients who are well enough to be discharged from hospital.
Under an arrangement still being negotiated with private hospitals, it is envisaged the HSE will have access to their capacity in the event of a surge in Covid-19 cases.
There will also be access to private hospital capacity to address the provision of ongoing care by the HSE, as well as the provision of elective care for public patients experiencing delays given the growth in waiting lists.
Out-patient appointments
This initiative aims to provide 10,000 out-patient appointments, 3,000 inpatient procedures, 18,000 day-case procedures and 3,000 gastrointestinal scopes.
Planned additional bed capacity includes 251 acute beds and 89 sub-acute beds this year and an additional 232 acute beds in the first three months of next year.
The Irish Medical Organisation expressed disappointment with the plan given the challenges posed by Covid-19. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation queried the lack of detail around staff for the new beds promised.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who was due to launch the plan, is unwell and did not attend.
Minister of State for mental health and older people Mary Butler said the investment of over €600 million in the winter plan showed how seriously the Government took the challenges ahead.
Ms Butler, who had a speaking engagement in the Seanad, left after her speech without taking questions from reporters.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--More rain and strong winds forecast for Ireland

Met Éireann has said its weather warnings will remain in place for coming hours as the island seems to have avoided severe flooding and wind damage overnight .
Three weather warnings – for wind , gales and rough sea conditions remain in place , with a status yellow rainfall warning due to end about 2pm .
By that time much of the heavy downpours will have moved into north county Louth , Down and Armagh .
East Leinster , which includes , the Dublin region will continue to see scattered showers , some of them quite thundery , throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clare , Cork and Kerry ended at midday , but while winds were gusting at 111km/h at Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry by 9am , there have been no reports of wind related impacts or flooding .
A status orange marine warning for westerly west winds , veering north to northwest will reach gale Force 8 or strong gale Force 9 today .
It applies to Irish coastal waters from Carnsore Point to Mizen Head to Loop Head , occasionally reaching storm force 10 this morning between Mizen Head and Loop Head .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Force 6 or higher this morning on Irish coasts from Loop Head to Fair Head to Carnsore Point , becoming northerly Force 6 or higher during the remainder of the day .
The outlook for the coming days is for cool and unsettled weather with occasional showers and autumnal sunny spells .
Thursday night will be mostly clear inland , with showers mostly confined to the coasts .
Lowest temperatures during Thursday night will be between 5 to 8 degrees , in moderate to fresh north to northwesterly winds .
Friday will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cloud will increase from the southwest during the afternoon .
Highest temperatures on Friday will be between 11 and 13 degrees , in moderate to fresh northwesterly winds .
Saturday will be mainly dry , with good sunny spells and light northerly or variable winds .
Highest temperatures will be between 11 and 14 degrees .
Sunday will see rain or showers over the southwest that will ease through the morning , while remaining mostly dry elsewhere .
The weather will become a little milder on Sunday , which is forecast to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , warmest over Munster .

Met Éireann has said its weather warnings will remain in place for coming hours as the island seems to have avoided severe flooding and wind damage overnight.
Three weather warnings – for wind, gales and rough sea conditions remain in place, with a status yellow rainfall warning due to end about 2pm. By that time much of the heavy downpours will have moved into north county Louth, Down and Armagh.
East Leinster, which includes, the Dublin region will continue to see scattered showers, some of them quite thundery, throughout the afternoon.
A yellow wind warning for Clare, Cork and Kerry ended at midday, but while winds were gusting at 111km/h at Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry by 9am, there have been no reports of wind related impacts or flooding.
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A status orange marine warning for westerly west winds, veering north to northwest will reach gale Force 8 or strong gale Force 9 today. It applies to Irish coastal waters from Carnsore Point to Mizen Head to Loop Head, occasionally reaching storm force 10 this morning between Mizen Head and Loop Head.
A small craft warning remains in place for Force 6 or higher this morning on Irish coasts from Loop Head to Fair Head to Carnsore Point, becoming northerly Force 6 or higher during the remainder of the day.
The outlook for the coming days is for cool and unsettled weather with occasional showers and autumnal sunny spells.
Thursday night will be mostly clear inland, with showers mostly confined to the coasts. Lowest temperatures during Thursday night will be between 5 to 8 degrees, in moderate to fresh north to northwesterly winds.
Friday will see sunny spells and scattered showers. Cloud will increase from the southwest during the afternoon. Highest temperatures on Friday will be between 11 and 13 degrees, in moderate to fresh northwesterly winds.
Saturday will be mainly dry, with good sunny spells and light northerly or variable winds. Highest temperatures will be between 11 and 14 degrees.
Sunday will see rain or showers over the southwest that will ease through the morning, while remaining mostly dry elsewhere. The weather will become a little milder on Sunday, which is forecast to see highest temperatures of 12 to 16 degrees, warmest over Munster.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Coronavirus and pubs: Minutes reveal NPHET’s fears over 'disinhibiting effect'

The State ’ s public health team NPHET privately expressed concerns about the opening of pubs stating that alcohol has a “ disinhibiting effect ” on people .
At a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team in late August , health officials discussed how pubs and bars “ pose a particular risk to the spread of Covid-19 as alcohol can have a disinhibiting effect on people and impair judgement.
” Minutes of the NPHET meeting show the team said that regardless of how “ well-intentioned people are , it can impair their awareness of and ability to comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advice ” .
NPHET recommended last week that Dublin needed to be moved to Level 3 of the Government ’ s new five-level alert system for containing coronavirus and that pubs not serving food should stay shut when they reopened elsewhere in the country on Monday .
The Government also agreed with NPHET ’ s recommendation that pubs serving food , and restaurants , while staying open in Dublin could only serve customers outside .
The recommendations were sent to Government last week amid rising numbers of coronavirus in the Republic , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties are also at risk of being elevated to Level 3 as case numbers continue to rise in many parts of the State .
Officials at the August meeting said that internationally there had been a number of examples of outbreaks of Covid-19 in bars and that there had also been a number of outbreaks associated with pubs in Ireland including 26 cases linked to a pub in Co Kildare .
“ Where pubs and bars have reopened in other countries , various conditions have been imposed including reduced opening hours , social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only , booking required , limited number per table , mandatory wearing of masks by staff , and capacity limits , ” minutes of the meeting state .
The team also discussed a “ heightened risk of infection associated with nightclub-type environments , which by their nature are not intended to be seated venues where patrons can maintain physical distancing.
” Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn yesterday said that struggling hospitality sectors will not influence public health decisions .
He said he was aware of the impact of the ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three weeks but said “ that can not influence public health decisions when we are seeing the hospitalisations , admissions to critical care and the deaths we have seen in recent days.
” He was asked why Dublin was the only capital city in Europe to ban indoor dining in restaurants and bars and keep the wet pubs shut .
“ Yes we have closed bars and restaurants in Dublin , but bars and restaurants are open around the country.
” He said there was too great a focus on the “ small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not open to the detriment of the reality that the vast majority of society is open despite a highly infectious disease ” .
Prof Philip Nolan , chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group also reiterated that international evidence was the reason why it recommended a ban on indoor dining in Dublin for three weeks .
Earlier this week the Restaurants Association of Ireland called on the Government to publish the international evidence relied on to support the decision to ban indoor dining in Dublin .
Adrian Cummins , chief executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that NPHET had made reference to international evidence as one of the reasons for closing indoor dining for until October 10th .
“ Business owners want to see it .
An industry has been closed down .
This is about maintaining confidence in the strategy and where we are going to , ” he said on Monday .
Mr Cummins called on the Government to “ fix ” the contact tracing data in order to give confidence to businesses and employees across the country .

Government sources confirmed the move to The Irish Times and ministers are likely to approve the measure in an incorporeal Cabinet meeting this afternoon. Photograph: iStock
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed that Donegal will be elevated to Level 3 of the five-level alert plan alongside Dublin from midnight on Friday after the county recorded the highest level of coronavirus cases in the State since late Spring.
The incidence of Covid-19 in the county over the past fortnight has been 148.2 in Donegal, which is higher than the rate in Dublin of around 145.
The latest daily figures show 42 new cases in Donegal of the 324 cases reported as of midnight Wednesday, following on from 30 new cases in the country 24 hours earlier. The only other country with a fortnightly rate above 100 was Co Louth. Some 167 of the newly reported cases were recorded in Dublin.
Hospital Report
The Government has decided today that, from midnight tomorrow, Friday September 25th, the county of Donegal will be placed on Level 3 under the Plan for Living with Covid-19. https://t.co/aZ59PwPWzC pic.twitter.com/xXdggYp8Lt — MerrionStreet.ie #StaySafe #HoldFirm (@merrionstreet) September 24, 2020
From midnight on Friday, people residing in Donegal will be asked not to travel outside the county and it will be subject to the same sanctions as Dublin with bans on indoor dining, further restrictions on the number of spectators at sporting events, bans on local matches, and strict limits on the number of people and family groups that can gather indoors and outdoors.
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The numbers allowed at weddings and funerals will be reduced to 25. The restrictions will apply to October 16th.
Wet pubs
Mr Martin said that Donegal would have all the restrictions for Dublin except one, wet pubs. He said that wet pubs in Donegal would be allowed operate for outdoor serving.
“Donegal’s seven day incidence is higher than anywhere else in the country. In one Local Electoral Area, Stranorlar, the incident rate is 336 per 100,000,” he said.
He said he identified one community not to single it out to show how quickly the virus spread. The Taoiseach said a “spirit of solidarity” would curb the spread of the virus.
“To be honest we could have similar announcements for other areas in the coming week, if the numbers keep rising.
He said everybody needed to reflect on that and to determine if the virus could spread and grow. He said there was “nothing inevitable” about the spread of the virus if people took responsibility.
‘Stick with this’
Dr Glynn said that the seven day level of Covid-19 cases in Donegal was twice that of everywhere else in the country.”
He said the 14 day rate in Lifford and Stranorlar was 336 per 100,000 people; Letterkenny at 81 per 100,000 and the west of Donegal at 92 per 100,000.
“Given the rapidity of how the situation deteriorated in Donegal NPHET felt that the application of Level 3 restrictions to the county was necessary,” he said.
He added that “unfortunately the situation continues to evolve and deteriorate nationally.
"This evening I am asking people everywhere in Dublin, Donegal, Louth Wicklow, Kildare Waterford, Cork and Galway to pay particular attention to the public health advice."
He said that a high number of cases was being recorded among younger people in particular and he appealed to them to observe Covid-19 protocols.
“Please stick with this and together we will get through this.”
He said experts were seeing high numbers of cases in the Derry area and it was not surprising that there were cases emerging in Donegal. He said that the cases were happening at family events, a phenomenon that was happening all over the country.
Dr Glynn and Mr Martin both said that socialising within family and social groups was contributing mostly to the growth and that was a trend that was being observed nationally.
“That’s why we are worried about urban centres,” said Mr Martin. He said cities like Cork and Galway have started from a low base but “incident rates are growing very fast,” said the Taoiseach.
He said it was important to have honest conversations as there was an “opportunity now to arrest the growth”.
Young cases
Dr Glynn said there had been a significant number of cases among people in their late teens and early 20s.
“It’s entirely to be expected to see people in those age groups [getting the virus],” he said.
However he said is his message to that group was it had to make choices.
“It is not that we don’t want you to socialise. But third level institutions opening next week. Club championships are being played. We have to do these things safely and do them differently. Young people have been phenomenal over the past eight months.”
He said for them, employment relationships and social life had all suffered.
“It’s very difficult going into winter to put many elements of their lives on hold. But unless they do they will continue to drive the [spread of the virus].”
In relation to close contact during celebrations after team’s won big matches, he said the emotion was understandable but choices had to be made.
Mr Martin added: "Sport in my view is vital in terms of physical and mental well being," adding that it shone a light on what Ireland did best as a country.
“It gives tremendous joy to those who are participating. The choice is we want to continue sport throughout the winter but behaviour will dictate that and it will be more challenging as we go through the winter in different sports.
“It is essential that the protocols are adhered to.”
Various conditions
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that the State’s public health team NPHET privately expressed concerns about the opening of pubs stating that alcohol has a “disinhibiting effect” on people.
At a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team in late August, health officials discussed how pubs and bars “pose a particular risk to the spread of Covid-19 as alcohol can have a disinhibiting effect on people and impair judgement.”
Minutes of the NPHET meeting show the team said that regardless of how “well-intentioned people are, it can impair their awareness of and ability to comply with social distancing and hygiene and respiratory advice”.
NPHET recommended last week that Dublin needed to be moved to Level 3 of the Government’s new five-level alert system for containing coronavirus and that pubs not serving food should stay shut when they reopened elsewhere in the country on Monday. The Government also agreed with NPHET’s recommendation that pubs serving food, and restaurants, while staying open in Dublin could only serve customers outside.
The recommendations were sent to Government last week amid rising numbers of coronavirus in the Republic, particularly in Dublin. A number of other counties are also at risk of being elevated to Level 3 as case numbers continue to rise in many parts of the State.
Officials at the August meeting said that internationally there had been a number of examples of outbreaks of Covid-19 in bars and that there had also been a number of outbreaks associated with pubs in Ireland including 26 cases linked to a pub in Co Kildare.
“Where pubs and bars have reopened in other countries, various conditions have been imposed including reduced opening hours, social distancing, mandatory seating, table service only, booking required, limited number per table, mandatory wearing of masks by staff, and capacity limits,” minutes of the meeting state.
The team also discussed a “heightened risk of infection associated with nightclub-type environments, which by their nature are not intended to be seated venues where patrons can maintain physical distancing.”
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn yesterday said that struggling hospitality sectors will not influence public health decisions.
He said he was aware of the impact of the ban on indoor dining in Dublin for the next three weeks but said “that cannot influence public health decisions when we are seeing the hospitalisations, admissions to critical care and the deaths we have seen in recent days.”
He was asked why Dublin was the only capital city in Europe to ban indoor dining in restaurants and bars and keep the wet pubs shut.
“Yes we have closed bars and restaurants in Dublin, but bars and restaurants are open around the country.”
He said there was too great a focus on the “small but significant element of society that is not open to the detriment of the reality that the vast majority of society is open despite a highly infectious disease”.
Evidence
Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group also reiterated that international evidence was the reason why it recommended a ban on indoor dining in Dublin for three weeks.
Earlier this week the Restaurants Association of Ireland called on the Government to publish the international evidence relied on to support the decision to ban indoor dining in Dublin.
Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the representative body for restaurants, said that NPHET had made reference to international evidence as one of the reasons for closing indoor dining for until October 10th.
“Business owners want to see it. An industry has been closed down. This is about maintaining confidence in the strategy and where we are going to,” he said on Monday.
Mr Cummins called on the Government to “fix” the contact tracing data in order to give confidence to businesses and employees across the country.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Taoiseach says counties must slow spread as Covid-19 rates rise in Dublin, Donegal

The Taoiseach has said it is “ imperative ” for counties with high numbers of new Covid-19 cases to reduce the spread of the virus as soon as possible .
Micheál Martin said he was particularly concerned about the 18 to 35 years of age cohort , especially with the return of third level colleges .
He was speaking as the latest published 14-day incidence rates of Covid-19 in Dublin show a risen again after a one-day decline following two weeks of increases in infections .
The incidence rate in Dublin stood at 140.3 cases per 100,000 people on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following a drop from 138 cases per 100,000 on Sunday .
There were recorded increases again in the incidence rates in the worst-affected areas of Dublin after the daily recording of brief declines , according to the latest Health Protection Surveillance Centre 14-day report .
The rate in Dublin North West rose above the 200 cases per 100,000 people again on Tuesday , reaching 200.3 cases , while Dublin South West reached 152.3 cases , up from 146.7 cases .
Cases in Dublin South East stood at 150.4 cases per 100,000 , up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 73.9 cases per 100,000 , up from 70.7 .
Donegal has the next highest number of cases for a county with 122.5 cases per 100,000 , up from 106.2 a day earlier and a more than two-fold increase from the 45.9 cases per 100,000 reported a week earlier .
Speaking on RTÉ Radio ’ s News at One , Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said : Dublin , as of last night “ was at 140 per 100,000 for the last 14 days , in the last seven days that figure was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means is Dublin looks like it ’ s beginning to stabilise , that ’ s what we want to see around the rest of the country as well.
” But Prof Philip Nolan , chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group , said on Wednesday night that it was “ too early ” to say that the spread of the disease had stabilised with the 14-day cumulative infection rate not rising as fast in recent days as it had in the past week .
He told the NPHET briefing that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another week ” before it could be seen whether the restrictions announced for Dublin last week were having any effect .
NPHET was meeting on Thursday to examine trends in the virus and also the impact of the additional restrictions imposed on Dublin last week .
Last night the State ’ s acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn declined to speculate on whether public health officials would recommend moving other counties where infections were high up to the Level 3 public restrictions currently imposed on Dublin .
However , he raised specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Louth and Waterford along with parts of north Wicklow and east Kildare that border Dublin .
Asked by reporters at an event at Dublin ’ s Oliver Bond flats complex on Thursday morning if he expected the NPHET to recommend that other counties move to Level 3 restrictions , Mr Martin said he would not pre-judge the advice that would be provided to Cabinet .
“ The next 10 days will be critical .
We are aware of counties like Donegal and Louth and others where the numbers are going in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been speaking to the Chief Medical Officer and we are also are concerned about large urban areas and cities in particular , Waterford , Cork , Limerick and Galway “ The situations for those cities is critical over the next 10 days and the behaviour has to change quite frankly.
” He also expressed concern about the concentration of new cases in the 18-35 age bracket , especially with the reopening of third level colleges .
“ It is imperative that action is taken know both collectively and as individuals , and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down and stabilised.
” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar also warned young people that they need to be aware of the long term health impact of Covid-19 and not think they are immune from significant health consequences from the virus .
Young people “ may end up with a weak heart or lungs for the rest of your life , so please don ’ t be trying to get this , ” he told RTÉ radio ’ s Today with Claire Byrne show .
Mr Varadkar said while there was a lot still to learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was not like flu .
Coronavirus was much more infectious and dangerous , he said .
Referring to the €600 million allocated for the Winter Plan - a sum designed to assist the health service deal with the additional pressures created by the pandemic - Mr Varadkar said just one per cent of hospital beds are currently being used by Covid-19 patients and that was before the additional 1,000 beds due to come on stream as part of the plan .
Even if the level of Covid cases got three times worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would still not be struggling , but he warned that things might get “ much worse than three times worse ” .
Addressing questions about Ireland ’ s testing and tracing system , Mr Varadkar said the Irish health system has carried out more tests per head than Germany , Sweden and the UK .
With regard to tracing , and the fact that the Irish system only traces back contacts within 48 hours , Mr Varadkar said it would never be possible to identify where every outbreak happened .
Another area of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , as four times more people aged over 65 have caught the disease than five weeks ago , State health officials have said .
Prof Nolan issued stark warnings on Wednesday evening about the impact of rising rates of infection over recent weeks .
“ If we are starting to suppress the virus again , it is essential that we maintain this effort : limit our social contacts , limit mixing between households .
The next 10 days are critical , ” he told journalists at NPHET ’ s media briefing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to report one to two admissions every day of people with Covid-19 to intensive care units and seven new admissions to hospital on average over the past week .
The majority of people admitted to ICU were under 65 and “ quite a few are young , ” he said .
“ We started to mix more than was safe and in an unsafe manner going back several weeks now and the transmissions that occurred then are catching up on us now , ” said Prof Nolan .
There were 234 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them in Dublin ( 44 per cent ) , 30 in Donegal , 22 in Galway , 21 in Cork , 13 in Wicklow , 12 in Louth , nine Kildare and eight in Meath .

Taoiseach Micheál Martin on a visit the Oliver Bond flat complex in Dublin on Thursday. He said there was general rising trend of Covid-19 cases across the country. Photograph: Julien Behal
An additional three people with Covid-19 have died, while a further 324 cases of the virus were reported in the State, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has said.
Thursday’s figures bring the total number of cases to 33,994 and the number of Covid-19 related deaths to 1,797.
Of Thursday's cases, 167 are in Dublin, 42 in Donegal, 34 in Cork, 13 in Monaghan, 12 in Kildare, eight in Cavan, six each in Limerick, Meath and Roscommon and five in Wicklow, with the remaining 25 cases in 11 counties.
Hospital Report
Some 169 of the cases were confirmed in men and 155 were confirmed in women, while 64 per cent were under 45 years of age.
READ MORE
Additonally, 52 per cent of cases are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed cases, while 81 cases have been identified as community transmission.
The HSE said it is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said public health doctors are "coming across more cases arising from people who are close contacts of confirmed cases and are not restricting the movements".
“Remember that Covid-19 is highly contagious and you can be infectious without symptoms. If you are a close contact of a confirmed case please follow the guidelines on hse.ie and restrict your movements for 14 days – do not go to school or work, do not have visitors to your home, do not go to the shop or pharmacy unless it is absolutely necessary.”
He added: “Please avail of a test when it is offered. Last week one in 10 close contacts who had a test were found to be positive – many of them had no symptoms.”
Green list
Meanwhile, the Government’s green list of countries, which Irish people can travel to without having to restrict their movements upon their return, has been updated again, with seven countries being removed.
From Monday, just four countries - Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Liechenstein - will be on the list. The seven countries that will be removed from the list on Sunday are; Cyprus; Finland; Germany; Iceland; Latvia; Lithuania and Poland.
With rates of Covid-19 beginning to rise again in most European countries, the incidence in each of the seven countries has risen above the threshold of 25 cases per 100,000 of population applied by Irish officials when establishing the make-up of the list last week.
Incidence rates
Earlier on Thursday, the Taoiseach has said it is “imperative” for counties with high numbers of new Covid-19 cases to reduce the spread of the virus as soon as possible.
Micheál Martin said he was particularly concerned about the 18 to 35 years of age cohort, especially with the return of third level colleges.
He was speaking as the latest published 14-day incidence rates of Covid-19 in Dublin show a risen again after a one-day decline following two weeks of increases in infections.
The incidence rate in Dublin stood at 140.3 cases per 100,000 people on Tuesday, up from 136.9 a day earlier following a drop from 138 cases per 100,000 on Sunday.
There were recorded increases again in the incidence rates in the worst-affected areas of Dublin after the daily recording of brief declines, according to the latest Health Protection Surveillance Centre 14-day report. The rate in Dublin North West rose above the 200 cases per 100,000 people again on Tuesday, reaching 200.3 cases, while Dublin South West reached 152.3 cases, up from 146.7 cases. Cases in Dublin South East stood at 150.4 cases per 100,000, up from 143.9. The national average stood at 73.9 cases per 100,000, up from 70.7.
Donegal has the next highest number of cases for a county with 122.5 cases per 100,000, up from 106.2 a day earlier and a more than two-fold increase from the 45.9 cases per 100,000 reported a week earlier.
Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said on Wednesday night that it was "too early" to say that the spread of the disease had stabilised with the 14-day cumulative infection rate not rising as fast in recent days as it had in the past week.
He told the NPHET briefing that it would be several days ”or perhaps another week” before it could be seen whether the restrictions announced for Dublin last week were having any effect.
NPHET was meeting on Thursday to examine trends in the virus and also the impact of the additional restrictions imposed on Dublin last week.
Last night the State’s acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn declined to speculate on whether public health officials would recommend moving other counties where infections were high up to the Level 3 public restrictions currently imposed on Dublin.
However, he raised specific warnings about increasing infection rates in Donegal, Louth and Waterford along with parts of north Wicklow and east Kildare that border Dublin.
Asked by reporters at an event at Dublin's Oliver Bond flats complex on Thursday morning if he expected the NPHET to recommend that other counties move to Level 3 restrictions, Mr Martin said he would not pre-judge the advice that would be provided to Cabinet.
“The next 10 days will be critical. We are aware of counties like Donegal and Louth and others where the numbers are going in the wrong direction.
“I’ve been speaking to the Chief Medical Officer and we are also are concerned about large urban areas and cities in particular, Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway
“The situations for those cities is critical over the next 10 days and the behaviour has to change quite frankly.”
He also expressed concern about the concentration of new cases in the 18-35 age bracket, especially with the reopening of third level colleges.
“It is imperative that action is taken know both collectively and as individuals, and in those particular locations to get the numbers down and stabilised.”
Young people
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar also warned young people that they need to be aware of the long term health impact of Covid-19 and not think they are immune from significant health consequences from the virus.
Young people "may end up with a weak heart or lungs for the rest of your life, so please don't be trying to get this," he told RTÉ radio's Today with Claire Byrne show.
Mr Varadkar said while there was a lot still to learn about Covid-19 what was clear was that it was not like flu.
Coronavirus was much more infectious and dangerous, he said.
Referring to the €600 million allocated for the Winter Plan - a sum designed to assist the health service deal with the additional pressures created by the pandemic - Mr Varadkar said just one per cent of hospital beds are currently being used by Covid-19 patients and that was before the additional 1,000 beds due to come on stream as part of the plan.
Even if the level of Covid cases got three times worse, he said, the health system would still not be struggling, but he warned that things might get “much worse than three times worse”.
Addressing questions about Ireland's testing and tracing system, Mr Varadkar said the Irish health system has carried out more tests per head than Germany, Sweden and the UK.
With regard to tracing, and the fact that the Irish system only traces back contacts within 48 hours, Mr Varadkar said it would never be possible to identify where every outbreak happened.
Another area of concern is rising coronavirus infections among older people, as four times more people aged over 65 have caught the disease than five weeks ago, State health officials have said.
Prof Nolan issued stark warnings on Wednesday evening about the impact of rising rates of infection over recent weeks.
“If we are starting to suppress the virus again, it is essential that we maintain this effort: limit our social contacts, limit mixing between households. The next 10 days are critical,” he told journalists at NPHET’s media briefing.
He said that it was “worrying” to report one to two admissions every day of people with Covid-19 to intensive care units and seven new admissions to hospital on average over the past week. The majority of people admitted to ICU were under 65 and “quite a few are young,” he said.
“We started to mix more than was safe and in an unsafe manner going back several weeks now and the transmissions that occurred then are catching up on us now,” said Prof Nolan.
There were 234 new cases reported on Wednesday with 103 of them in Dublin (44 per cent), 30 in Donegal, 22 in Galway, 21 in Cork, 13 in Wicklow, 12 in Louth, nine Kildare and eight in Meath.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Monaghan nursing home with 22 Covid-19 deaths complied with regulations

A Co Monaghan nursing home where 22 residents died during a coronavirus outbreak was found to be in compliance with State regulations , a new watchdog report has found .
An inspection by health regulator , the Health and Information Quality Authority , found that just over half of the residents with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections at Drumbear Lodge Nursing Home in Monaghan died during an outbreak between April and June .
The care facility suffered one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks during the pandemic .
Hiqa has today published the first reports carried out by inspectors since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the depth of the health crisis that faced nursing homes .
Long-term care facilities for older people and the elderly population have borne the brunt of the pandemic , accounting for 56 per cent of almost 1,800 deaths from the disease in the State .
The Hiqa reports , covering inspections at 36 nursing homes , find failings in infection prevention and control measures and other areas around ensuring the protection of older residents .
In the case of Drumbear Lodge , however , the regulator found on an unannounced visit on June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak was over – that the nursing home was compliant or substantially compliant with 13 regulations including infection control for its 56 residents .
Inspectors found that the Covid-19 infection outbreak at the home affected 40 residents and several staff working in the centre and that about 53 per cent of residents with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections died during the two-month outbreak .
In another inspection , at Kilbrew Nursing Home in Ashbourne , Co Meath , Hiqa found that , in the area of risk management , the identification , recording @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious incident ” involving residents at the private home “ had not been adequately carried out.
” “ As a result , it was not clear that practices had changed in response to learning from such events , ” the report on the Hiqa inspection on June 4th says .
The inspectors found that in the management of wound care and daily nursing records there was “ a delay in taking timely action to ensure that residents received appropriate medical care.
” “ In some circumstances , it was found that the records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the residents and details of their plan of care did not accurately reflect their state of health and/or circumstances at the time , ” the inspectors say in the report .
Although his case is not mentioned in the report as Hiqa is precluded from identify individual residents , the reference to the “ serious incident ” is understood to include the care of the late Ultan Meehan who was transferred from Kilbrew to a hospital in Dublin with infected wounds .
Medics at the hospital found that Mr Meehan , who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had cancerous facial tumours that had become infected and infested with maggots .
Mr Meehan was transferred to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown , west Dublin in late May , days before the Hiqa inspection of the care facility .
He died two weeks later .
The regulator said that , overall , inspectors found that the care and support received by residents at Kibrew “ was of a good quality and ensured that they were safe and well supported.
” The regulator was critical of other care facilities in its inspection reports , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hiqa found that not all of the 78 residents at the publicly run Killarney Community Hospital “ were given the opportunity to social distance ” in line with health protection guidelines , increasing the risk of infection being transmitted among the residents .
“ The majority of residents continued to be accommodated in six bedded rooms with limited personal space , ” said the regulator following an inspection on June 3rd .
Hiqa said that there had been “ repeated regulatory non-compliance ” by the HSE from previous inspections “ where long-term residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adversely impacted their daily quality of life , privacy and dignity.
” The regulator said that the HSE had “ inadequately responded to the shortcomings of the current premises , as identified in inspections dating back to 2010.
” In the HSE-run Birr Community Hospital , the regulator found that the care facility ’ s 64 residents were living in multi-occupancy rooms and could not socially distance .
“ Due to the close proximity of all residents ’ beds in two bedrooms with four beds in each and 13 bedrooms with three beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not possible and therefore increasing residents ’ risk of contracting an infection , ” Hiqa said after an inspection on June 4th .
At another HSE facility , St Mary ’ s Health Campus in Guarranabraher , Cork , a Hiqa inspector found during a visit on June 17th that many of the home ’ s 47 residents were “ in bed or in the process of being put to bed following their tea at 5pm on a lovely warm summer ’ s evening.
” In an inspection of Sancta Maria Nursing Home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found consistently high levels of staff turnover and staffing levels “ severely impacted by the outbreak of Covid-19 throughout the months of April and May 2020 ” as sick leave depleted management .
Hiqa found in an inspection of Kilcoole Lodge Nursing Home in Co Wicklow on July 7th that staff were not using personal protective equipment in line with national guidelines .
The inspectors found that staff were not wearing face masks when attending to residents in communal care and were not always wearing a mask in attending to residents ’ personal @ @

A Co Monaghan nursing home where 22 residents died during a coronavirus outbreak was found to be in compliance with State regulations, a new watchdog report has found.
An inspection by health regulator, the Health and Information Quality Authority, found that just over half of the residents with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections at Drumbear Lodge Nursing Home in Monaghan died during an outbreak between April and June.
The care facility suffered one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks during the pandemic.
Hiqa has today published the first reports carried out by inspectors since the coronavirus pandemic began in March that show the depth of the health crisis that faced nursing homes.
READ MORE
Long-term care facilities for older people and the elderly population have borne the brunt of the pandemic, accounting for 56 per cent of almost 1,800 deaths from the disease in the State.
The Hiqa reports, covering inspections at 36 nursing homes, find failings in infection prevention and control measures and other areas around ensuring the protection of older residents.
In the case of Drumbear Lodge, however, the regulator found on an unannounced visit on June 30th – three weeks after its Covid-19 outbreak was over – that the nursing home was compliant or substantially compliant with 13 regulations including infection control for its 56 residents.
Inspectors found that the Covid-19 infection outbreak at the home affected 40 residents and several staff working in the centre and that about 53 per cent of residents with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections died during the two-month outbreak.
In another inspection, at Kilbrew Nursing Home in Ashbourne, Co Meath, Hiqa found that, in the area of risk management, the identification, recording, investigation and learning from a "serious incident" involving residents at the private home "had not been adequately carried out."
“As a result, it was not clear that practices had changed in response to learning from such events,” the report on the Hiqa inspection on June 4th says.
The inspectors found that in the management of wound care and daily nursing records there was “a delay in taking timely action to ensure that residents received appropriate medical care.”
“In some circumstances, it was found that the records of the medical and nursing condition of the residents and details of their plan of care did not accurately reflect their state of health and/or circumstances at the time,” the inspectors say in the report.
Although his case is not mentioned in the report as Hiqa is precluded from identify individual residents, the reference to the "serious incident" is understood to include the care of the late Ultan Meehan who was transferred from Kilbrew to a hospital in Dublin with infected wounds.
Medics at the hospital found that Mr Meehan, who had dementia and had recovered from Covid-19, had cancerous facial tumours that had become infected and infested with maggots.
Mr Meehan was transferred to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, west Dublin in late May, days before the Hiqa inspection of the care facility. He died two weeks later.
‘Well supported’
The regulator said that, overall, inspectors found that the care and support received by residents at Kibrew “was of a good quality and ensured that they were safe and well supported.”
The regulator was critical of other care facilities in its inspection reports, including three run by the HSE.
Hiqa found that not all of the 78 residents at the publicly run Killarney Community Hospital "were given the opportunity to social distance" in line with health protection guidelines, increasing the risk of infection being transmitted among the residents.
“The majority of residents continued to be accommodated in six bedded rooms with limited personal space,” said the regulator following an inspection on June 3rd.
Hiqa said that there had been “repeated regulatory non-compliance” by the HSE from previous inspections “where long-term residents continued to be accommodated in situations which adversely impacted their daily quality of life, privacy and dignity.”
The regulator said that the HSE had “inadequately responded to the shortcomings of the current premises, as identified in inspections dating back to 2010.”
In the HSE-run Birr Community Hospital, the regulator found that the care facility's 64 residents were living in multi-occupancy rooms and could not socially distance.
“Due to the close proximity of all residents’ beds in two bedrooms with four beds in each and 13 bedrooms with three beds, the option to socially distance was not possible and therefore increasing residents’ risk of contracting an infection,” Hiqa said after an inspection on June 4th.
At another HSE facility, St Mary’s Health Campus in Guarranabraher, Cork, a Hiqa inspector found during a visit on June 17th that many of the home’s 47 residents were “in bed or in the process of being put to bed following their tea at 5pm on a lovely warm summer’s evening.”
In an inspection of Sancta Maria Nursing Home in Kinnegad, Co Meath, Hiqa found consistently high levels of staff turnover and staffing levels "severely impacted by the outbreak of Covid-19 throughout the months of April and May 2020" as sick leave depleted management.
Hiqa found in an inspection of Kilcoole Lodge Nursing Home in Co Wicklow on July 7th that staff were not using personal protective equipment in line with national guidelines.
The inspectors found that staff were not wearing face masks when attending to residents in communal care and were not always wearing a mask in attending to residents’ personal care.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Coronavirus: Ten ambulance workers in North test positive on golf trip

Ten ambulance workers in Northern Ireland have tested positive for coronavirus following a golf trip .
The affected members of staff all work at Craigavon ambulance station in Co Armagh .
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service ( NIAS ) said 10 members of staff from the Southern Division who attended a social event outside of work had tested positive for Covid-19 .
As a result , a further six members of staff who were identified as close contacts of the affected members of staff have also been required to self-isolate and are unable to work .
“ The situation is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidance and NIAS procedures , ” a spokesperson said .
The chief executive of the NIAS , Michael Bloomfield , told BBC Radio Ulster that none of the ambulance workers with Covid-19 were seriously ill , and he hoped to see most of them return to work very soon .
He said at the time of this trip the regulations in place stipulated a maximum of 15 people could meet outdoors .
“ They did not break that , ” he said .
Mr Bloomfield said a NIAS internal review had “ established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was not contracted through work .
“ We believe the first person tested positive on September 13th , we believe contracted that through a family member , ” he said .
“ As a result of number of staff being away together for a number of days ” on a “ golf trip ” , he said , the infection was passed to the other members of the group .
“ Very rapidly a number of others tested positive , ” he said .
It has been reported that the golf trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of the 15 people who were on the trip , Mr Bloomfield said , 12 were ambulance staff .
Ten of them tested positive for Covid-19 , and two did not .
He said that only one person had returned to work following the trip before subsequently testing positive .
That individual was in contact with four colleagues , who are self-isolating , but no patients .
“ There were no patient contacts whatsoever as a result of these staff testing positive , ” he said .

The affected members of staff all work at Craigavon ambulance station in Co Armagh. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Ten ambulance workers in Northern Ireland have tested positive for coronavirus following a golf trip.
The affected members of staff all work at Craigavon ambulance station in Co Armagh.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said 10 members of staff from the Southern Division who attended a social event outside of work had tested positive for Covid-19.
As a result, a further six members of staff who were identified as close contacts of the affected members of staff have also been required to self-isolate and are unable to work.
READ MORE
“The situation is being managed in line with public health guidance and NIAS procedures,” a spokesperson said.
The chief executive of the NIAS, Michael Bloomfield, told BBC Radio Ulster that none of the ambulance workers with Covid-19 were seriously ill, and he hoped to see most of them return to work very soon.
He said at the time of this trip the regulations in place stipulated a maximum of 15 people could meet outdoors. “They did not break that,” he said.
Mr Bloomfield said a NIAS internal review had “established that this was a community transmission, it was not contracted through work.
“We believe the first person tested positive on September 13th, we believe contracted that through a family member,” he said.
“As a result of number of staff being away together for a number of days” on a “golf trip”, he said, the infection was passed to the other members of the group. “Very rapidly a number of others tested positive,” he said.
It has been reported that the golf trip was to the Republic of Ireland.
Of the 15 people who were on the trip, Mr Bloomfield said, 12 were ambulance staff. Ten of them tested positive for Covid-19, and two did not.
He said that only one person had returned to work following the trip before subsequently testing positive. That individual was in contact with four colleagues, who are self-isolating, but no patients.
“There were no patient contacts whatsoever as a result of these staff testing positive,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Clampers used unauthorised ‘spotter workaround’ for higher bonuses

Five clampers at a clamping company engaged in an unauthorised “ workaround ” that resulted in them clamping more cars that could earn them higher work bonuses .
That is one of the findings of Workplace Relations Commission ( WRC ) adjudication officer , Kevin Baneham , who found that the decision by a clamping company to dismiss one worker who engaged in the “ workaround ” practice was not unfair .
The man told the WRC that he clamped 2,500 vehicles between January and October 2018 , and was subject to only 12 successful appeals .
The man was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a job with another clamping company the following day .
In his findings , Mr Baneham stated that the workers ’ bonus payments depended on how many vehicles they clamped and he stated : “ Staff have the obvious incentive to bend the rules in order to stave off criticism of their performance or to earn additional remuneration.
” Mr Baneham stated the clamping company contended that the worker used the workaround to earn more bonus , but Mr Baneham stated that the company also benefitted financially from an operator who clamped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to appeal .
Mr Baneham stated that the ‘ workaround ’ involved a clamper noting the time a vehicle was parked up and relaying this information to a colleague who would clamp the car at the end of the grace period .
Mr Baneham stated that the staff member who administered the clamp would enter the spotting time relayed to them by the colleague and then enter the time the staff member administered the clamp .
Mr Baneham stated : “ This obviously allowed for more vehicles to be clamped as the staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to also spot the vehicle beforehand.
” In the case where the dismissed worker received a final written warning for the “ workaround ” practice , a supermarket home delivery vehicle was noted to have parked in a loading bay at 5.58pm on October 17th , 2018 by a colleague .
The parking of the vehicle had 20 minutes grace time and it was clamped by the sacked worker at 18.24pm -– 26 minutes after it was spotted parked up .
Mr Baneham said that the driver of the supermarket vehicle was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s CCTV to challenge that it had been spotted at the said time .
Using the GPS on the clamping vehicle , the clamping company established that the dismissed worker could not have spotted the commercial vehicle as he was driving at this time , although not very far from where the commercial vehicle was parked .
The clamping firm sacked the man after a second incident where he took a work van home after an explicit warning not to do so .
Mr Baneham said it is “ striking how prevalent this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ From the evidence , I count five members of staff who engaged in this practice although the company ’ s enforcement officer gave strong evidence that he did not engage in this practice.
” “ It is imperative for public confidence in the administration of a clamping regime , ” he said .
He stated that neither the regulations , nor the employer ’ s policy “ permit one staff member to spot and another to clamp ” .

The man told the WRC that he clamped 2,500 vehicles between January and October 2018, and was subject to only 12 successful appeals. File photograph: Bryan O’Brien/ The Irish Times
Five clampers at a clamping company engaged in an unauthorised “workaround” that resulted in them clamping more cars that could earn them higher work bonuses.
That is one of the findings of Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication officer, Kevin Baneham, who found that the decision by a clamping company to dismiss one worker who engaged in the "workaround" practice was not unfair.
The man told the WRC that he clamped 2,500 vehicles between January and October 2018, and was subject to only 12 successful appeals. The man was sacked on November 13th, 2018 and got a job with another clamping company the following day.
In his findings, Mr Baneham stated that the workers’ bonus payments depended on how many vehicles they clamped and he stated: “Staff have the obvious incentive to bend the rules in order to stave off criticism of their performance or to earn additional remuneration.”
READ MORE
Mr Baneham stated the clamping company contended that the worker used the workaround to earn more bonus, but Mr Baneham stated that the company also benefitted financially from an operator who clamped a great many vehicles — although subject to appeal.
Mr Baneham stated that the ‘workaround’ involved a clamper noting the time a vehicle was parked up and relaying this information to a colleague who would clamp the car at the end of the grace period.
Mr Baneham stated that the staff member who administered the clamp would enter the spotting time relayed to them by the colleague and then enter the time the staff member administered the clamp. Mr Baneham stated: “This obviously allowed for more vehicles to be clamped as the staff member who clamped the vehicle did not have to also spot the vehicle beforehand.”
In the case where the dismissed worker received a final written warning for the “workaround” practice, a supermarket home delivery vehicle was noted to have parked in a loading bay at 5.58pm on October 17th, 2018 by a colleague. The parking of the vehicle had 20 minutes grace time and it was clamped by the sacked worker at 18.24pm -– 26 minutes after it was spotted parked up.
Mr Baneham said that the driver of the supermarket vehicle was able to rely on the vehicle’s CCTV to challenge that it had been spotted at the said time.
Using the GPS on the clamping vehicle, the clamping company established that the dismissed worker could not have spotted the commercial vehicle as he was driving at this time, although not very far from where the commercial vehicle was parked.
The clamping firm sacked the man after a second incident where he took a work van home after an explicit warning not to do so.
Mr Baneham said it is “striking how prevalent this workaround was”. He stated: “From the evidence, I count five members of staff who engaged in this practice although the company’s enforcement officer gave strong evidence that he did not engage in this practice.”
“It is imperative for public confidence in the administration of a clamping regime,” he said.
He stated that neither the regulations, nor the employer’s policy “permit one staff member to spot and another to clamp”.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Galway fishermen who rescued paddleboarders save man in River Corrib

The father and son who rescued two young women off Inis Oirr earlier this year have been involved in another @ @ @ @ @ .
Patrick and Morgan Oliver came to the assistance of a man in the River @ @ @ @ @ The alarm was initially raised by a pedestrian at around 9am and the Coast Guard @ @ @ @ @ and Galway Fire Brigade were alerted .
The man was located by the Olivers off @ @ @ @ @ was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Galway .
Last month , the fishermen rescued @ @ @ @ @ ) and Ellen Glynn ( 17 ) about 32 kilometres out from Furbo Beach where @ @ @ @ @ .
The young women were in the water for 15 hours and were found clinging @ @ @ @ @ lobster pot .

The father and son who rescued two young women off Inis Oirr earlier this year have been involved in another rescue operation in Co Galway.
Patrick and Morgan Oliver came to the assistance of a man in the River Corrib on Wednesday morning. The alarm was initially raised by a pedestrian at around 9am and the Coast Guard Service, local RNLI volunteers and Galway Fire Brigade were alerted.
The man was located by the Olivers off Nimmo’s Pier and was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Galway.
Last month, the fishermen rescued cousins Sarah Feeney (23) and Ellen Glynn (17) about 32 kilometres out from Furbo Beach where they had been paddle boarding. The young women were in the water for 15 hours and were found clinging to the buoy of a lobster pot.


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Producing the golden eggs of the bioeconomy

The planet ’ s stocks of biodiversity , the mind-boggling variety of animal and plant life in the world , is like a huge vault or library of new potentially useful chemicals , pharmaceuticals and energy sources .
The many complex chemical pathways that plants , animals , fungi and micro-organisms use to fight their corner in a world where everything is out to eat or infect them inspire chemists to make things that humans find useful or desirable .
A very significant part of Ireland ’ s economy is based on renewable biological resources from the land and sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bioenergy and increasingly sophisticated industrial processes which make pharmaceuticals , plastics and other chemical compounds from biological raw materials are all part of this bioeconomy .
European Union and Irish strategies have strongly supported the substitution of industrial chemicals derived from climate-damaging fossil fuels with chemicals produced from crops , food waste and wild harvest .
It is seen as a “ win-win ” for jobs , the economy and the environment .
Ireland can both provide the raw materials for the bioeconomy and develop the science and technology needed to gain value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to find alternatives for the vast diversity of highly useful products that can be produced from oil , coal and gas .
If we are to keep stocks of climate-damaging fossil fuels in the ground and prevent them from further polluting the atmosphere with climate altering greenhouse gases we need to find replacements .
The potential for constant renewal of biological resources and their long-term sustainability is a fundamental strength of the bioeconomy .
The bioeconomy is absolutely reliant on the preservation and investigation of biodiversity as the source of new products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chitin , the hard material that makes up the external skeleton of insects , shrimp , the hard rasping mouthparts of slugs and snails , the scales of fish and the cell walls in fungi .
Chitin is naturally produced , very common in the environment and biodegradable .
A single chemical group can be removed from chitin , the acetyl group , producing chitosan .
Chitosan is used in organic agriculture where it stimulates plants to mount their own complex chemical defences against fungal infections .
It is also used in human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impurities and prevent spoilage and has potential as an additive to vaccines to make them more effective .
Chitosan is being tested as an ingredient in coronavirus vaccines .
We know that expansion of economic activity in general has led to the erosion of biodiversity , and for the bioeconomy in particular this is an erosion of its very foundations .
The long history of overexploitation of biological resources in fisheries , aquaculture , agriculture , livestock management , forestry and bioenergy has reduced biodiversity and damaged the ability of ecosystems to renew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vested interest in maintaining the goose that lays the golden eggs , and there are commitments to sustainable practices in national and international bioeconomy strategies .
A commitment to sustainability , however , needs to be backed up with actions .
One important way for industries in the bioeconomy to walk the sustainability walk is to mainstream natural capital approaches into their business plans .
The natural capital approach seeks to make visible the stocks of biodiversity that underpin the delivery of goods and services to people .
Ecosystems not only provide products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services for free to multiple groups in society and the wider economy .
Only through the explicit consideration of how these often invisible providers of critical ecosystem services are impacted by the bioeconomy can we determine strategies for renewable and sustainable use .
To keep the bioeconomy goose laying those golden eggs it needs an intact ecosystem to provide food , clean water and natural pest control .
That intact ecosystem may also provide useful surprises in the future , perhaps even more valuable than golden eggs .
The Irish Forum on Natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enable businesses in the bioeconomy to start accounting for , and investing in , their real wealth , the stocks of natural resources that they rely on .
Yvonne Buckley is an ecologist , Irish Research Council laureate and professor of zoology at Trinity College Dublin

Chitosan, used in organic agriculture where it stimulates plants to mount defences against fungal infections, is also used in winemaking and has potential as an additive to vaccines to make them more effective.
The planet’s stocks of biodiversity, the mind-boggling variety of animal and plant life in the world, is like a huge vault or library of new potentially useful chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy sources.
The many complex chemical pathways that plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms use to fight their corner in a world where everything is out to eat or infect them inspire chemists to make things that humans find useful or desirable.
A very significant part of Ireland’s economy is based on renewable biological resources from the land and sea. Farming, the agri-food sector, bioenergy and increasingly sophisticated industrial processes which make pharmaceuticals, plastics and other chemical compounds from biological raw materials are all part of this bioeconomy.
European Union and Irish strategies have strongly supported the substitution of industrial chemicals derived from climate-damaging fossil fuels with chemicals produced from crops, food waste and wild harvest. It is seen as a "win-win" for jobs, the economy and the environment. Ireland can both provide the raw materials for the bioeconomy and develop the science and technology needed to gain value from these raw materials.
READ MORE
We urgently need to find alternatives for the vast diversity of highly useful products that can be produced from oil, coal and gas. If we are to keep stocks of climate-damaging fossil fuels in the ground and prevent them from further polluting the atmosphere with climate altering greenhouse gases we need to find replacements.
The potential for constant renewal of biological resources and their long-term sustainability is a fundamental strength of the bioeconomy.
The bioeconomy is absolutely reliant on the preservation and investigation of biodiversity as the source of new products and processes. A fascinating example is chitin, the hard material that makes up the external skeleton of insects, shrimp, the hard rasping mouthparts of slugs and snails, the scales of fish and the cell walls in fungi. Chitin is naturally produced, very common in the environment and biodegradable.
A single chemical group can be removed from chitin, the acetyl group, producing chitosan. Chitosan is used in organic agriculture where it stimulates plants to mount their own complex chemical defences against fungal infections. It is also used in human wound dressings, in winemaking to remove impurities and prevent spoilage and has potential as an additive to vaccines to make them more effective. Chitosan is being tested as an ingredient in coronavirus vaccines.
Biodiversity
We know that expansion of economic activity in general has led to the erosion of biodiversity, and for the bioeconomy in particular this is an erosion of its very foundations. The long history of overexploitation of biological resources in fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, livestock management, forestry and bioenergy has reduced biodiversity and damaged the ability of ecosystems to renew themselves. The bioeconomy has a strong vested interest in maintaining the goose that lays the golden eggs, and there are commitments to sustainable practices in national and international bioeconomy strategies.
A commitment to sustainability, however, needs to be backed up with actions. One important way for industries in the bioeconomy to walk the sustainability walk is to mainstream natural capital approaches into their business plans. The natural capital approach seeks to make visible the stocks of biodiversity that underpin the delivery of goods and services to people.
Ecosystems not only provide products to the bioeconomy, they deliver many services for free to multiple groups in society and the wider economy. Only through the explicit consideration of how these often invisible providers of critical ecosystem services are impacted by the bioeconomy can we determine strategies for renewable and sustainable use.
To keep the bioeconomy goose laying those golden eggs it needs an intact ecosystem to provide food, clean water and natural pest control. That intact ecosystem may also provide useful surprises in the future, perhaps even more valuable than golden eggs.
The Irish Forum on Natural Capital provides the tools and training to enable businesses in the bioeconomy to start accounting for, and investing in, their real wealth, the stocks of natural resources that they rely on.
Yvonne Buckley is an ecologist, Irish Research Council laureate and professor of zoology at Trinity College Dublin


theirishtimes--2020-09-24--Autism and sleep disruption – a family affair

Congratulations , you have just been awarded European Research Council funding – those grants are hard to get .
What will your project be about ?
Thank you .
I will use the ERC funding for a project called Family Sleeps , where we are looking to improve our understanding of the role of sleep disruption in families with a child or children with autism .
Children with autism often don ’ t sleep well , and this can have an effect on the entire family .
I want to do an in-depth study of the entire family ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ timing , and to see if genetic patterns are linked to how family members react to sleep disruption .
How will you carry out the study ?
We want to engage with families where one or more of the children has an autism diagnosis , and with families where no child has autism .
We ’ ll use sensors to track their circadian rhythms over the course of a year and analyse everyone ’ s genome for interesting markers or genetic patterns .
Why do we not already know much about this ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to measure .
We need to figure out the most appropriate sensors that children , and particularly children with autism , can tolerate well .
Sensor technology has developed a lot recently , so we may be able to use sensors that children don ’ t need to wear .
Also , we now have the ability to explore entire genomes , which is relatively new .
It will still be a challenge to take into account all the variability in the data .
But we hope to find patterns that can tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autism , and whether this links to the circadian rhythms in the wider family .
How might Covid-19 affect the project ?
One of the nice things about the ERC grant is that it is for five years , so I can spend the next while really planning the project in detail and ensuring everything is in place , without worrying about the need to write another grant application to keep things going .
So in a way , it ’ s a good time to be doing the groundwork .
What aspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most ?
Genetics .
I studied genetics at Trinity College Dublin and have been working in the field since my PhD at the University of Edinburgh .
In that 20 years or so , I have looked at how genes relate to things like cognitive function , psychosis and autism .
Genetics has always been at the heart of it .
Is science a big thing in your family ?
Well my husband , Dr Manuel Lopez Vernaza , is a scientist .
We met when we were doing our PhDs in Edinburgh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science , and now he works in the Department of Agriculture .
And what do you do to take a break ?
We have three kids , so a lot of my time is spent doing family things .
But recently I have been getting back into hockey .
I played a lot in school , and during my PhD .
But then I stopped .
So I recently dusted off my skills and started playing “ vet hockey ” for over-35s .
When I ’ m playing hockey it gets me away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s just about being out in the fresh air and pure enjoyment of the sport .

‘Children with autism often don’t sleep well, and this can have an effect on the entire family.’ Photograph: iStock
Congratulations, you have just been awarded European Research Council funding – those grants are hard to get. What will your project be about?
Thank you. I will use the ERC funding for a project called Family Sleeps, where we are looking to improve our understanding of the role of sleep disruption in families with a child or children with autism.
Children with autism often don’t sleep well, and this can have an effect on the entire family. I want to do an in-depth study of the entire family’s body clocks or circadian rhythms and sleep timing, and to see if genetic patterns are linked to how family members react to sleep disruption.
How will you carry out the study?
READ MORE
We want to engage with families where one or more of the children has an autism diagnosis, and with families where no child has autism. We’ll use sensors to track their circadian rhythms over the course of a year and analyse everyone’s genome for interesting markers or genetic patterns.
Why do we not already know much about this?
It’s quite a challenging thing to measure. We need to figure out the most appropriate sensors that children, and particularly children with autism, can tolerate well. Sensor technology has developed a lot recently, so we may be able to use sensors that children don’t need to wear.
Dr Lorna Lopez
Also, we now have the ability to explore entire genomes, which is relatively new. It will still be a challenge to take into account all the variability in the data. But we hope to find patterns that can tell us about why sleep disruption happens in autism, and whether this links to the circadian rhythms in the wider family.
How might Covid-19 affect the project?
One of the nice things about the ERC grant is that it is for five years, so I can spend the next while really planning the project in detail and ensuring everything is in place, without worrying about the need to write another grant application to keep things going. So in a way, it’s a good time to be doing the groundwork.
What aspect of the work do you enjoy the most?
Genetics. I studied genetics at Trinity College Dublin and have been working in the field since my PhD at the University of Edinburgh. In that 20 years or so, I have looked at how genes relate to things like cognitive function, psychosis and autism. Genetics has always been at the heart of it.
Is science a big thing in your family?
Well my husband, Dr Manuel Lopez Vernaza, is a scientist. We met when we were doing our PhDs in Edinburgh. He did his doctorate in plant science, and now he works in the Department of Agriculture.
And what do you do to take a break?
We have three kids, so a lot of my time is spent doing family things. But recently I have been getting back into hockey. I played a lot in school, and during my PhD. But then I stopped.
So I recently dusted off my skills and started playing “vet hockey” for over-35s. When I’m playing hockey it gets me away from my work and my phone, it’s just about being out in the fresh air and pure enjoyment of the sport.