Covid-19: Robin Swann advises more working from home

People working from home in Northern Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic "should be working from home" again, the health minister has advised.

Robin Swann said a previous decision to relax the working from home messaging should be reversed, it is understood.

The comments formed part of a document issued to the executive on Thursday.

This week the Department of Health said more restrictions before Christmas were possible unless transmission of the virus drops significantly.

On Friday Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Sir Michael McBride said: "No-one should be in any doubt about the seriousness of the situation we are facing into.

"Unless we get this virus back under control... what we are looking at is potentially our hospital system being overwhelmed by mid-December," he told BBC News NI.

However he said he did not believe that Northern Ireland would "go back to the damaging impact of lockdowns".

Discussing the topic of Christmas parties, Sir Michael urged people to be "selective" about which events they attended and for organisers to do risk assessments in advance.

"People should not be cancelling their plans at this stage but they should be thinking of planning carefully to minimise the risk to themselves and others," he said.

Mr Swann's advice on working from home came after he instructed officials to draft a paper looking at other ways to improve adherence with existing restrictions.

It followed a contentious vote by Stormont ministers to approve Covid-19 vaccine passports for domestic use in Northern Ireland from next month.

The plan means people will have to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or proof of a negative coronavirus test result to access nightclubs, pubs or restaurants.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had voted against the proposals but Mr Swann and other Stormont ministers said the use of vaccination status certification would save lives.

At present, executive advice on working from home is that people should continue to do so where they can.

New Covid-19 advice coming into effect in the Republic of Ireland on Friday is for anyone who can work from home to do so unless it is necessary to do otherwise.

Irish bars, restaurants and nightclubs will also close at the earlier time of midnight.

It is understood that in Mr Swann's document he suggests that a decision taken by the executive on 23 September encouraging employers to "begin planning a gradual return to the workplace" for employees should be reversed.

The proposal states: "I believe that message should be reversed to once again advise employees to work from home where they can and to advise employers to support this where possible."

It goes on to say that the message should be communicated by stating that if a person worked from home when the pandemic began in March 2020 then "they should be working from home now".

Advice from health officials suggests strengthening the message would help reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus inside and outside workplaces.

Sir Michael, the chief medical officer, told BBC News NI on Friday that research had shown that working from home was "one of the single most effective interventions" to control the virus.

"It reduces mixing in the workplace, it reduces infection and transmission in the workplace but also travelling to and from the workplace," he said.

"There is strong scientific evidence that it is an effective intervention."

He said the level of transmission of the virus in Northern Ireland needs to be brought "back under control".

"Now is the time to act, we have time to act, we have a number of weeks to act and take action immediately," he said.

It is understood that in the advice paper Mr Swann has also proposed giving the Stormont assembly a debate on the Covid passport regulations before they become enforceable on 13 December.

The DUP had called for that to happen ahead of the measures taking effect.

It is understood that the document also advises ensuring enforcement against those breaching existing Covid restrictions, including people who do not comply with wearing face coverings where they are legally required.

Mr Swann said that unless that happened the public would see "compliance as unimportant and optional" and would lessen the benefits of wearing face coverings.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said he believed the police should be enforcing penalties for people not wearing face coverings.

Sir Michael told BBC News NI that wider restrictions had to be considered in sectors "where we know the risks are higher".

"The Covid certificates for domestic use is one way of putting in those wider restrictions and keeping those higher risk settings open," he said.

The health minister is also understood to have said in his paper that communications on public health are "much more effective when delivered with a united voice by all executive ministers".

It is understood the minister is proposing that the executive asks the assembly speaker to allow a debate or an alternative method to allow MLAs to consider the regulations.

The executive will have to consider Mr Swann's paper but it is not clear yet when that may happen.

Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw said she was concerned that Northern Ireland was moving "into a very bleak Christmas for people".

"We want people to enjoy their Christmas but it has to be with risk mitigations in place," she said.