Due to the coronavirus schools across Ireland have been cancelled, despite this the second years are still having to complete the CBAs (classroom based assessments). This is unfair as every other year group that have completed them received a better opportunity to get help. The current second years deserve the same platform that previous students have had. Because of the current situation, there is a lot of unnecessary stress and confusion being caused.

Our government needs to make a commitment of immediate financial support of €400,000 along with ongoing state support in whatever means that you deem appropriate and most beneficial to all involved, on behalf of my government to the Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) Air Ambulance in Rathcoole, Co. Cork as they now only have funding remaining for the next few days, or it risks grounding the helicopter and it’s vital lifesaving air ambulance across Ireland that has saved countless lives. These services reaches communities that ground ambulances cannot or cannot without great difficulties.

The outbreak of #COVID-19 has clearly placed HCWs at risk. Infection with 2019-nCoV has been detected in 375 HCWs, 26% of cases (as at 25 March 2020) and 1 HCW has died. #COVID-19 is spread through both direct (droplet and person-to-person) as well as indirect contact (contaminated objects and airborne transmission). This supports the use of airborne isolation precautions. 🇮🇪 #PPE4HCW ☘️ MEDICAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING #PPE4HCW: The virus is spread by direct transmission (cough, sneeze, droplet inhalation), contact transmission (oral, nasal, and eye mucous membranes) and in the gastrointestinal tract, urine and stools (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857920300984) The NEJM published evidence of aerosol transmission on 17 March 2020. Analysis of droplet, aerosol and surfaces found that CoV-19 could be detected in: aerosols in a relatively closed environment up to 3 hours post aerosolization, up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973) One study from Nebraska found extensive levels of virus contamination in hospitals and on equipment for up to 2 days thus posing a clear infection risk to HCW (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.23.20039446v2.full.pdf) 🇮🇪 #PPE4HCW ☘️ This evidence solidly confirms that is vital that PPE including eyewear or face shield should be worn throughout the treatment and disinfected between patients. 🇮🇪 #PPE4HCW ☘️

In the next 13 weeks as the pandemic reaches its peak, hundreds of women and pregnant people in Northern Ireland will need an early medical abortion. The government must ensure that both patients and medical staff are not placed at unnecessary risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all being asked to stay at home for the safety of the whole country. It is unacceptable that the health of patients and healthcare workers in NI will be put at risk by enforcing unnecessary travel to clinic appointments. We know that there is the capacity to provide a telemedicine in NI immediately. Millions of women around the world have successfully used abortion pills, which the World Health Organisation states are a safe and effective means of early medical abortion. Additionally other governments have recognised the need for abortion care at home during this crisis. Failure to provide a telemedicine service will leave many women and pregnant people unable to access essential abortion care and may lead them to other unsafe means. It will also place unnecessary strain on healthcare services and put staff in danger during an already extremely difficult time. We are calling on the NI Health Minister to; (1) introduce remote consultations for abortion and no criminalisation for any nurse, midwife or doctor who provides remote abortion care during this emergency (2) allow patients to take both abortion medications in the safety of their own home (3) recognise there is no safe way to access abortion care in England during the crisis

Retro Drive-in Movies has carried out extensive market research over the past 14 days and 95% of attendees considered Drive-in Movies to be a safe event in the current situation. In the current climate, positive mental health is something to be encouraged particularly if the challenges persist over a number of months.

Most students and families often struggle to put together college fees, with some skipping classes to work. Given the current situation, a partial refund for the period where classes were/are no longer conducted in the college is only reasonable and fair as this can help students to get through these tough times and pay for the upcoming academic year.

Following the 2017 Dáil committee, on the future on Health in Ireland, it was agreed by all parties that a single-tiered healthcare system, called Sláintecare, was the best way forward. (2) Fine Gael agreed to implement this but dragged their feet, lacking the commitment to fully fund the programme and not making it a priority. (3) Now, in the face of a global pandemic it is evident that Sláintecare is necessary to protect and care for the people of Ireland. 1) (https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/election-2020-exit-poll-confirms-health-housing-homelessness-of-most-concern-to-voters-1.4167030) 2) (https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/32/future-of-healthcare/) 3) (https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/social-democrats-implementing-sl%C3%A1intecare-health-plan-a-red-line-for-coalition-1.4142849)

The overcrowding on halting sites is widely recorded along with the stark health inequalities for Travellers in Ireland. The Traveller community and the grave statistics which reflect the reality of life and health for Travellers must be taken into consideration in government planning for the most vulnerable groups. If this is not done there is no way to prevent the spread of covid 19 and unnecessary deaths will occur. Deaths can be prevented the local authority have the responsibility and the powers to enable this and MUST act immediately. HSE staff are been redeployed across the country to focus on areas of priority and rightly so. However, this redeployment and investment in resources must also include the Traveller community. In areas where there are numbers of Traveller families living without access to supports such as primary health care programmes additional HSE resources must be allocated to provide basic information, support and assistance. One such area is Labre Park in Dublin. The oldest and one of the largest halting sites in the country. Home to almost 50 families and a population of 200 men, women and children with no primary health care programme and no supports provided by the local authority to address this escalating crisis. There is a disaster waiting to happen in overcrowded halting sites, prevent unnecessary deaths, provide the space and the basic human rights of water and sanitation NOW # Traveller Lives Matter

While the emissions of conventional cars are terrible for the environment and human health, electric vehicles are anything but clean – their production requires an enormous input of energy and raw materials. About 1,800 kilograms of metals and other materials are used in a mid-range electric car such as the Chevrolet Bolt, which marketed in Europe as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera-e. The European automotive industry imports almost 100% of these materials – and a significant share of them come from mines in tropical countries and rainforest areas. Lithium-ion batteries, the heart of electric vehicles, are no exception here. The Chevrolet Volt battery pack, for example, weighs 440 kg, which is 10,000 times the weight of a smartphone battery (44 gr). Besides lithium, manganese and graphite, they contain about 10 kg of cobalt and 30 kg of nickel. In the case of nickel mining, Indonesia and the Philippines are at the forefront of global production. Two-thirds of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt, copper and nickel are mined along an 800-kilometer belt in the rainforest in the south of the country – under catastrophic working conditions, at starvation wages, and by tens of thousands of child laborers. In the case of iron for steelmaking, Brazil is a leading supplier of the automotive industry. The country is also in first place for copper, followed by Peru and Chile. The mines of international corporations are thus eating into the rainforests to satisfy the resource hunger of the manufacturers of “clean” electric vehicles. Simply clogging the roads with millions of EVs is not the answer to our present problems. Tell the EU that we need a fundamental rethink of policies related to raw materials and transport to put them on an environmentally friendly foundation.

Nobody should be forced into poverty because of COVID-19. But, right now, employers will be penalised for topping up the poverty payment of €203 per week that temporarily laid of staff are entitled to during the pandemic. If they give their employers extra money, the company won't be entitiled to any refunds. That's why we're calling on Regina Doherty to allow employers to pay their staff their full wages - and reimburse them for the full cost.

The country is in the midst of the worst public health crisis in living memory. Student nurses are taking huge risks to provide the care we badly need at this time. They need to be paid for doing this. Last week the HSE and Simon Harris opened up a massive recruitment drive for workers - yet we asking skilled professionals to do unpaid work.

Heightened levels of loneliness, anxiety and stress levels are affecting our mental well being. It is inevitable that some people will really struggle and need professional support as the pandemic continues. These supports need to be put in place urgently. Mental health professionals should help operate an online video chat counselling service. Current service users should be able to continue with their sessions online, but there’s no reason why extra staff, including psychologists and psychiatrists couldn’t facilitate an online service for anyone needing support. They could have an initial online meeting, and then be referred to the most suitable mental health professional. We would not be advocating this ordinarily, but these are extraordinary times and we need to think outside the box. This action alone could stop worse problems down the line for both young and old alike. Covid-19 shouldn’t mean people suffering with their mental health should suffer more by staying indoors. Isolation is detrimental to anyone that suffers. An online service needs to be provided to people as it will be the only thing to keep them going through this horrible period. Please sign the petition to help us get an online counselling service for anyone that needs it. This will be a lifesaver to some.