Marian Harkin urges clarity on face masks for public transport
Marian Harkin raised the issue of face masks and sought certainty on recommendations for public transport as the country prepared to reopen. She argued face coverings are an additional barrier to reduce spread but not a substitute for hand washing, social distancing and respiratory etiquette.
Request for clarity on masks
Marian Harkin asked the Taoiseach to provide clear guidance on wearing face masks on public transport ahead of reopening next Monday, citing the need for planning and certainty for the public.
Reasons for the request
She set out three reasons for certainty - to allow people to plan, to avoid a spike in costs and shortages as many masks are homemade or voluntarily produced by community groups, and to learn from practices in countries previously affected by SARS and MERS.
Position on masks versus hygiene measures
Harkin emphasised that face coverings are "literally an extra barrier to stop the spread of the virus" and agreed they are not a substitute for hand washing, social distancing and respiratory etiquette.
Government response and NEFID advice
The Taoiseach replied that there is an active scientific debate and that advice from NEFID was expected shortly. The likely advice, he said, would recommend face coverings in certain circumstances rather than surgical or respiratory masks, to avoid shortages for healthcare workers.
Need for public information
The Taoiseach also said any recommendation would need to be accompanied by a public information campaign explaining how and when to use face coverings and reiterating that they complement rather than replace other protective measures.
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Deputy Harkin First, I want to express my sympathy to the families and friends of those that we have lost from COVID-19. Taoiseach, I want to raise an issue on face masks, which I spoke to you about last week. Yesterday, Minister Ross said it was likely that facial coverings would be encouraged from next week on public transport, etc. And I'm saying to you, we need certainty around this for three reasons. First of all, we have to plan. Many face masks can be homemade and various groups are voluntarily making those masks. So in order to avoid a spike in costs, I think we need to give certainty to people. As we open up next Monday, any certainty will help to avoid a spike in costs and shortages. Secondly, of course, we don't have certainty. But if you look to countries where SARS and MERS were prevalent, we can see what they do in practice and we should learn. And finally, you said this morning that face masks are no substitute for hand washing, social distancing, etc. I fully agree. Nobody is saying they are a substitute. They are literally an extra barrier to stop the spread of the virus. So as we open up next Monday, Peter, can you please give us some certainty about recommending the wearing of face masks in public transport? In response to Deputy Harkin, when it comes to face coverings, there is an active scientific debate on that. We've been waiting for quite some time for advice from NEFID. We expect that today or tomorrow. So hopefully giving people a little bit of clarity around that advice. I believe the advice will be to advise face coverings in certain circumstances, perhaps not face masks, because we don't want to end up in a situation whereby we run into shortages again of surgical masks or respiratory masks for those who need them the most. And those are our healthcare workers. So the likelihood is a recommendation around face coverings. But I think if it's done, it will be necessary to have a public information campaign as well, informing people how to use them, when to use them, and also reminding people, as the Deputy rightly put out, or rightly said, that it's not a substitute for the other things. It may have some additional benefit in certain circumstances, but it shouldn't be seen as an alternative to social distancing and hand washing and respiratory etiquette. need is Secretary to eat as well. Maybe this report ing to someone else can get back from there... the
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