Call for face masks to be worn in public and work areas

A local TD has joined a call on the Government to recommend and promote the wearing of face masks by members of the public in public and work areas.

The Regional Group of TDs, which has local Deputy Denis Naughten as its convenor, made the call today on foot of advice from the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

The US CDC is recommending the wearing of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain such as shopping for grocery and pharmacy and particularly in areas of significant community-based transmission.  

The US CDC made the recommendation in light of new evidence that many people with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms

Up to now, the National Public Health Emergency Team in Ireland has not recommended the practice of public use of face masks.

A representative of the Regional Group of TDs in a statement said: “Simple cloth face coverings can slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.”

The group stressed that the face masks it proposes are “not the respirators or ventilator type that are used to protect health care workers and these important mask protectors must be reserved for our frontline healthcare workers and medical first responders who are at most serious risk”.

The Regional Group of independents believes cloth face coverings made from common materials can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

“We believe cloth masks may well offer a solution also in coming weeks to allow some numbers of people rejoin work activity while continuing to observe social distance and hygiene protection measures,” the TDs said.

 ‘The Regional Group’ is a technical group of TDS that comprises Denis Naughten, Kildare South’s Cathal Berry, Verona Murphy from Wexford, Matt Shanahan from Waterford, Galway East’s Sean Canney, Noel Grealish from Galway West, Tipperary TD Michael Lowry, Peter Fitzpatrick from Louth and Peadar Toibin from Meath West.