Older people feel they will be asked to pay the price for Ireland’s failure to get to grips with COVID-19.

The Government announced a raft of new COVID-19 restrictions yesterday with the health minister Stephen Donnelly warning that the county is at a ‘tipping point’ with the virus.

Under the new rules, people over the age of 70 are being asked to limit their social interactions to a small group of people and only to shop during designated hours.

An elderly man walks on the Curragh Plains in County Kildare, 05-05-2020. Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

On Breakfast Briefing with Stephen Murphy this morning, Maureen Kavanagh, CEO of Active Retirement Ireland (ACI) said older people are fearful of what the coming months may bring.

“We felt that in the first lockdown older people not only had their movements restricted but they cocooned for the best part of 15 weeks – and they did that willingly,” she said.

“They did it because that was the contribution they could make to the fight against COVID-19.

“The country came back open again and now we are starting to see spikes of cases around the country and we find that the very people that did everything they possibly could to protect themselves, to protect their families, to protect their communities are now the ones that are having their movements restricted.

“They are fearful that they will end up back behind the doors looking out at the world through the looking glass.”

Concern

Ms Kavanagh said there is a concern that a second round of lockdown will be too difficult for many older to take.

“We represent 25,000 older people around Ireland, that is exactly what they are fearful of because they all talk about the mental impact it had on them,” she said.

“Now they did it and I need people to hear that older people are very willing to do what is needed in order to protect society and protect their communities but they really want to see everybody else playing ball as well.

“I think that is what they are most fearful about. They will do their bit but have any lessons been learned from the last lockdown for older people?”

Whole of society

She said older people understand that they are most vulnerable to the virus; however, she said “they need to see a whole of society approach to this.”

“They feel that, if they go back into restrictions again, will the lessons be learned or will we come back out of it, after the schools are open back into October, and find that there are spikes again?”

Under the new guidelines, people are being asked to work from home wherever possible and avoid public transport.

All sporting events must now be played behind closed doors.

Officials are also in talks with the Attorney General about handing Gardaí greater powers to enforce the rules.