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ISME expresses concern on lack of Covid-19 direction

ISME has written to the Taoiseach to express its grave concern at the lack of direction in the management of Covid-19 case numbers, and the sudden announcement of new measures on Tuesday last, 16th November.

While appreciating how serious the public health situation is, we must also register how serious the situation is for thousands of businesses which had a reasonable expectation of near-normal trading in Christmas 2021, after a disastrous Christmas last year.

Rather than forcing the country into a series of yo-yo restrictions ISME is calling on Government – as a matter of urgency – to:

  • Invest in sufficient surge capacity in our critical care beds to manage a significant uptick in case numbers.
  • Aggressively roll out a booster campaign.
  • Address the fact that a significant proportion of our critical care capacity is occupied by the unvaccinated.
  • Establish a robust and affordable widespread antigen-testing regime.

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive ISME, said: “We are suffering from an absence of demonstrable command, control and communications by Government in the management of this pandemic. It is important for Government to exercise grip over the situation, especially when they must convey bad news to the population. There is a real inconsistency in messaging when stadiums are full but offices are empty. This appears to make no sense, and will sap the confidence of businesses once more.  The Government and it health advisers need to act quickly.”

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Issued for ISME by Heneghan