Covid-19: Dublin doctor warns against blaming young people for rising cases
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Dublin consultant Laura Durcan has said that the public needs more information about what constitutes “at risk behaviour” rather than expecting the gardaí to “police” public behaviour.
The recent increase in cases of Covid-19 was not “all down to house parties and young people” she told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.
“We need to think about brunches, lunches, dinner parties and communions too. We have to be able to personalise the message and modify our behaviour,” said Dr Durcan.
Dr Durcan also warned about "finger pointing" at young people when the majority had been “remarkably compliant”.
She said she wanted clear messaging from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) about what constitutes at risk behaviour and social gatherings “so I can modify my behaviour.”
The consultant rheumatologist also said she wants the gardaí to be able to do their job and to feel safe doing so.
“I don’t want to ask the gardaí to police people's behaviour, I don't want them to have to be driving around housing estates looking for parties,” she said.
Dr Durcan said she understood the concerns of teachers on their return to work and the reopening of schools.
In the early stages of the pandemic she had been so concerned about her job that she had checked her will before going into work.
She pointed out that of the 392 recent outbreaks only one had been from a pub serving food. “That’s quite low, which suggests that they are getting it right.”
While there had been an increase in younger people contracting the virus, it was “inevitable” that if there were more community outbreaks then it was likely to spread to older people, she said.
Earlier, on the same programme, the chief executive of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) Padraig Cribben said the continuing closure of pubs and uncertainty for pub owners was causing “mental anguish” for his members.
It had been unfair that publicans had been given the news about the deferral of the reopening of wet pubs, at the last minute.
“We are probably looking at prolonged closure and we don't agree with that, but if that is the case tell us that,” said Mr Cribben.
The Vintners CEO said he would prefer if the cabinet focused on a support package for such pubs. But he said he was concerned about the “communication gap” between the powers that be and gardaí on the ground.
If everyone had done as good a job as the government was suggesting then there wouldn’t have been the outbreaks in settings such as meat plants and direct provision centres, he said.