The right strategy: @ZeroCOVIDIsland #Ireland 👇👇👇
Eliminating SARS-CoV2 from the island of Ireland would have immense benefits for us all. It would open up our country and start the recovery of our economy. Jobs and confidence would recover, as has happened in other countries. Schools and childcare could fully reopen safely. 1/
Normal sports, music, arts, health care, and community events could start up again. We would avoid many people getting sick.
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Relaxing restrictions before we get to a Zero-COVID island risks a second wave, as seen in Israel, Serbia, Australia and Japan. 2/
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Relaxing restrictions before we get to a Zero-COVID island risks a second wave, as seen in Israel, Serbia, Australia and Japan. 2/
Without a Zero-COVID island, ... the current state of affairs will continue, perhaps for years. Persistent and justified fear of COVID19 risk will cripple our society and destroy businesses and jobs, just as badly as the lockdown did, if not more so. 3/
How do we get to Zero-COVID?
We need a strategic decision at government level to deliberately push towards a Zero-COVID island, with comprehensive community support.
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We need a strategic decision at government level to deliberately push towards a Zero-COVID island, with comprehensive community support.
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We need a Green Zone strategy with local relaxation of restrictions, wherever there is no community transmission, to allow return to near normal conditions in those areas. 5/
In those areas where community transmission continues we need to patiently maintain and enhance the hygiene, social distancing and restrictions that have taken us so far already. 6/
We need to normalise and legally enforce wearing masks, indoors in public spaces and outdoors in crowds. This will need political and professional leadership.
Find, trace, track, isolate, and support cases, and close contacts.
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Find, trace, track, isolate, and support cases, and close contacts.
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We need proper regulation of travel and associated isolation, supplemented with repeated serial testing before release. 8/
We need to establish safe travel bridges to other countries or jurisdictions that have similar Zero-COVID strategies, to extend our shared green zone strategy through international cooperation. 9/
Unless we take action, at best we will have reduced economic activity and continuing disruption to our lives because of social distancing, and at worst a second surge of infections. 10/
Israel shows us how bad this can get. We can instead choose to follow New Zealand, to control COVID19, drive it to zero, and open back up. 11/
It’s really our choice.
A Zero-COVID Island is our only viable exit strategy from the ongoing COVID19 epidemic, which may otherwise last for years or indefinitely. 12/
A Zero-COVID Island is our only viable exit strategy from the ongoing COVID19 epidemic, which may otherwise last for years or indefinitely. 12/
