2nd March 2020
Updated information and resources from the Department of Education and Skills, including Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team, 01 March 2020
Information for Schools, Pre-Schools and Third Level Institutions on the Corona Virus;
https://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Announcements/information-for-schools-preschools-and-third-level-institutions-on-the-coronavirus.html
26th Feb 2020
The following information has been compiled to assist conduct a risk assessment for managing potential exposure to coronavirus (Covid-19).
This is the current advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (accurate 25/2/20):
If, in the past 14 days, an individual has:
- travelled to Ireland from any of the identified affected countries/regions e.g Italy, Tenerife (see attached here)
- been in contact with a person who has novel Coronavirus, or
- attended a hospital/healthcare facility where patients with novel Coronavirus are being treated
AND
they feel well and do not have any symptoms of respiratory disease, they need to:
Phone the local Department of Public Health for advice. Staff at the local Department of Public Health will provide them with information on coronavirus and advise them on what to do if you become sick. Contact details for Departments of Public Health can be found at below link:
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html (correct of 25/2/20)
However
If in the past 14 days, an individual has:
- travelled to Ireland from any of the identified areas above, or
- been in contact with a person who has novel Coronavirus, or
- attended a hospital/healthcare facility where patients with novel Coronavirus are being treated
AND they feel unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, high temperature, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing), then they should:
isolate themselves (i.e. stay separate from other people) and phone their GP immediately – giving their GP their travel history and symptoms. A GP should be contacted by phone rather than arriving at the GP’s surgery without contacting them so that they don’t put staff or other patients at risk of infection. Your GP will advise you of the next steps over the phone.
Guidance and information regarding people returning to work from China can be found in the document linked below:
The FAQs document on the HPSC website also details instructions for employers in this situation, linked below:
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/
- Ireland is currently monitoring the situation and the HSE HPSC is updating its website www.hpsc.ie daily. At present there are no laboratory confirmed cases in Ireland.
- Please consult here for travel advice. All non-essential travel to mainland China should be avoided.
In addition, this link shows that to date, 96.6% of all cases reported globally have occurred in mainland China. https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
