Covid19 is putting a spotlight on how flawed the model of private 'for profit' nursing home care in Ireland is. They are driven by profit with many now owned by huge companies. Problems with overcharging, understaffing and poor treatment of older people have hit the headlines in recent years and now they have become the epi-centre of the Covid19 pandemic. Nurses and healthcare staff in private nursing homes are not well treated - no sick leave, overworked, part-time contracts, poor working conditions, reliance on agency/temporary.

Gardens have the capacity to maintain the physical distancing and hygiene practices necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19. Community Gardens and Allotments provide for a wide scope of citizens, including low-income and marginalised people, allowing them access to organically grown, sustainable, healthy food, which might be out of their budget to purchase otherwise. We are at the start of growing season and many rely on food crops from their extended gardens to sustain them in the coming months therefore the closure notice served at the end of March hits many with additional frustration on top of ongoing situation in the society. Complete closure order from the council will inevitably lead to unnecessary food waste, but what is the worst - depression may take people's lives in an already stressful situation when many lost their jobs, or part of income, due to Covid-19. We must protect the vulnerable who find refuge and hope in growing a garden. The Local Councils must work towards improving access to HEALTHY, LOCALLY grown food in a SAFE space, while maintaining necessary precautions regarding spread of Covid-19. We can’t afford to deepen the antagonism in our society, particularly during a public health crisis. COMMUNITY GARDENS AND ALLOTMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL.

Clusters of COVID-19 are emerging in Nursing homes across the country putting very vulnerable people at risk. In order to protect residents and to cut down on the number of infections, staff in Nursing homes need to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times irrespective of whether or not they themselves are symptomatic.

Every person that has to go out to work at this time is putting theirs and their families health at risk for the sake of others needs. 10% pay rise backdated from March 9th is a very small compensation for that but at least shows SOME appreciation for staff during this time.

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

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

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 and midwives are taking huge risks to provide the care we badly need at this time. They are stepping up to do extra work and placement practice while learning and training to be healthcare professionals. Their status as students needs to be protected and recognised - they should not be exploited as unpaid workers helping to hold up a struggling healthcare system.

Both the Abortion Rights Campaign and the Government want to keep people safe during this emergency. It is in all of our interest to minimise the strain on our healthcare system and to prevent people who are not sick from coming into contact with those who are. Remote consultation is already in use in Ireland by, for example, VideoDoc and Spectrum Health, and more recently, by individual GPs as they adapt to the current crisis. Providing abortion consultations remotely has proven safe, effective, and acceptable in other jurisdictions. We urge the Minister for Health to clarify that an in-person visit is not required in order to satisfy the Act and put appropriate protocols in place. We urge the Minister for Justice to assure doctors they will not be prosecuted if they offer medical abortion remotely at this time. Sign the petition and let the Government know you support those who need to access abortion services, healthcare workers and all those working in the health sector.