Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Older People Mary Butler says she hopes the new directives from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre on the use of masks in health care settings is also applied to home care workers.
“Today the HPSC issued guidance for immediate implementation saying that surgical masks should be worn by health care workers when providing care within 2 metres of a patient irrespective of the COVID status of the patient. I hope this will also be the case for home care workers who will see a number of different people every day”, said Deputy Butler.
“Most people receiving home care will be older or more likely to have an underlying health condition – they are obviously more vulnerable to the virus. It would be extraordinary if they were not included in the HSPC’s latest guidance.
“The government has been taken aback by the extent to which COVID-19 has rampaged through nursing homes and other residential care settings. We must do all we can to ensure that the home care sector does not experience the same devastation that we have witnessed in nursing homes.”
