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AS GREATER RESTRICTIONS are announced as part of Ireland’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak, false information is being circulated online.
Some of this information is deliberately designed to mislead people about measures being taken by State authorities.
On such example is an image being shared which purports to feature a tweet from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar outlining restrictions being placed on Irish racegoers returning from the Cheltenham horse racing festival in the UK.
The four-day festival ends today with approximately 65,000 people attending each day, many of whom travelled from Ireland. The decision by organisers to continue with the festival despite the potential for coronavirus transmission has led to much criticism.
Horse Racing Ireland announcing yesterday that racing in this country is to be held behind closed doors until 29 March.
The image
With the Cheltenham Festival completing its schedule today, questions have now turned racegoers returning to Ireland, giving rise to this specific piece of misinformation.
The fake image appears to have been tweeted yesterday and claims that: “All people returning from the UK as of 4pm today will undertake 14-day isolation and tests in Maldron Dublin Airport Hotel”.
It says that the decision was made “following talks with chief medical experts and the risk that Cheltenham presents”.
This is FALSE. No such restrictions are being placed on people returning from Cheltenham.
The facts
The tweet is incorrect on a number of fronts. Aside from the misspelling towards the end, it is simply not the case that people returning from the UK are being told to isolate for 14 days.
People who return from the Cheltenham festival and have symptoms may be tested, but this does not mean that everyone who returns from the festival is tested as a matter of course.
The HSE and Department of Health have said that the risk of contracting Covid-19 is not as high in the UK as it is in other European countries with higher infection rates.
Speaking this morning, Health Minister Simon Harris said that any person returning from Spain and Italy from today will be asked to restrict their movements for two weeks.
“That effectively means not going to work and to lessen your social contacts. They will be met by environmental health officers in the airport from today and given leaflets. They’ll be asked not quite to self-isolate but to restrict their movements,” he said.
Harris is essentially outlining self-quarantine, different to the more severe self-isolation, as outlined by the HSE.
The Health Minister was asked why the same measures do not apply to racegoers returning from Cheltenham. He responded:
I know it seems counterintuitive to all of us here in Ireland as we are restricting mass gatherings and the likes, to see such a large one taking place in the UK, but the public health emergency team did consider this specifically last night, and it is a statement of fact that, as of now, the UK is not deemed to be an affected area in the same way as Spain or Italy.
As of this morning, the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the UK stands at 590 compared to 15,113 in Italy and 3,004 in Spain.
Varadkar himself was asked about Irish racegoers returning from Cheltenham while in Washington yesterday and said that testing everyone who returned wouldn’t be effective.
“As I understand, one of the difficulties with testing at the moment is that we don’t have a proper serology test, so you will only test positive if they have symptoms, if they have a high temperature,” the Taoiseach stated.
And the advice that we have from our public health experts is that screening people for temperature at the airport’s wouldn’t be effective. But this is a rapidly developing situation. The science of this is not well-known and if our public health team advise us to carry out any additional checks to the airports we’ll do exactly that.
Despite this, people returning from the festival may be tested if they are displaying symptoms, with the HSE saying last night that it is planning to expand the testing criteria.
Previously, testing was focused on people with symptoms if they’d returned from an at risk area or if they had come into contact with a known positive case, but the HSE confirmed last night that this was to be expanded.
Speaking this morning, Chief Clinical Officer at the HSE Dr Colm Henry said the executive was “lowering the bar for testing”.
“We now want to explore further testing. We need to plan for this and we’re actually talking with GP groups and other people in primary community care to see how we can apply testing to anybody who develops symptoms that may be suspicious for this Covid-19 infection. They include people with fever and new onset fever and people with new onset cough,” he said.
So while questions are likely going to continue about the decision to proceed with the Cheltenham festival, those returning from the UK are not undertaking isolation.
They will also not be tested as a matter of course, but will be able to be tested should they display symptoms.
***
There is a lot of false news and scaremongering being spread in Ireland at the moment about coronavirus. Here are some practical ways for you to assess whether the messages that you’re seeing – especially on WhatsApp – are true or not.
STOP, THINK AND CHECK
Look at where it’s coming from. Is it someone you know? Do they have a source for the information (e.g. the HSE website) or are they just saying that the information comes from someone they know? A lot of the false news being spread right now is from people claiming that messages from ‘a friend’ of theirs. Have a look yourself – do a quick Google search and see if the information is being reported elsewhere.
Secondly, get the whole story, not just a headline. A lot of these messages have got vague information (“all the doctors at this hospital are panicking”) and don’t mention specific details. This is often – but not always a sign – that it may not be accurate.
Finally, see how you feel after reading it. A lot of these false messages are designed to make people feel panicked. They’re deliberately manipulating your feelings to make you more likely to share it. If you feel panicked after reading something, check it out and see if it really is true.
TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here
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Oh dear God, no.
@Tarquin Donovan: flatly is the man a true Irish hero and warrior of dance
@Ian McDonald: @Ian McDonald:I agree, and yet, still the best option so far? The true option is for Michael Higgins to continue as president ad infinitum, But then we risk the issue of the issue of the greater public realizing that leprechauns are indeed real, and they do indeed live far longer that mere mortals.
@Tarquin Donovan: you have the worst bot handle, ever
He may be better than what’s on offer currently….we need a cat amongst the pigeons
@Jb Walshe: you do know that the president is a ceremonial figure- so no “cats among pigeons” are needed or wanted
@Jb Walshe: Peter Casey proved that at the last election. He finished 2nd, despite the loony left in uproar over his (honest) comments on a certain “minority” group. I guarantee you, if we had a straight-talking, no BS candidate this time, they would get elected. Connelly is a woke, attention-seeking lefty. We need a right leaning (not far right) president
@Dave Harris: I was referring to the usual Irish career politicians who usually run Dave,and yes I know it is a photo op job
@Aidan: that’s kinda what I was referring to Aidan but it flys over the heads of some,probably fffg supporters.
@Jb Walshe: I would say more the SF & Left supporters tbh. At least some FFG supporters have an understanding of CR/R policy
@Aidan: vote for McGuiness then. Or hanafin. Or any SF candidate.
@Alan: Obviously your missing my point. I’m anti SF. Utterly h££e them
The only Michael I’d like to see in the running is Michael McDowell.
@martin lawlor: Because, for a single point in time, his opinion matched with your obsession?
@martin lawlor: Interesting , not fan of much of his economic and pollical policy (was not the worse though) but I’d rather him in the Seanad though
He is not too popular amongst people who remember 2002-2010 though. FG people might admire him but , they will back McGuinness.
@Val O’Connell: though?
@Jason Memail: That comment has to be AI, there’s no way a human brain could sprout such tripe.
Ti’s a grand soft day so it ti’s.
@Gerard Carey: Fiachra and Fachna will be doing all the work
@Gerard Carey: By the glint of me Holden.
Better than Connolly
Fair play to him! It would be a huge drop in salary and a considerable domestic downsizing to the Aras. :)
@honey badger: Ironically, Flatley lives in Castlehyde which was the family home of Douglas Hyde who was the first President of Ireland.
@Padraig: Didn’t know that. Disregard the downsizing part so. Could win you a pub quiz someday though!
The most plastic paddy that ever danced a jig begorrah.
Not a chance.
ABB
Anyone but Bertie.
Ah here! Getting silly now.
Hahaha, & it’s not even April1st…… Catherine Connolly has this cushy ‘ gig’ squarely in the bag
@Buster Lawless: polls suggest she doesn’t.
If it’s between her and McGuinness then McGuinness wins easily.
@Buster Lawless: Not a hope in hell will see get the gig . No chance. We are not all socialist – Commies. Even Labour crowd , her own people, will struggle to swallow that .
Yeah let’s start electing celebrity presidents. After all it worked so well for America.
@T Wolfson: I think you’ll find very different responsibilities between our President & that across the pond!!! But surely you already knew that ya?
Happy Feet for president.
Michael Flatley has something that the other candidates so far are lacking in, and that is “charisma.” That is So So important for this Job, as an ambassador for our country, he would represent us all well.
Well that is a few months worth of material for Mario Rosenstock and the Gift Grub crew
After the French Connection, Blackbird is hands down the best crime thriller of the last 50 years. Micheal is easily on par with Gene Hackman if not better. He gets my vote.
You wouldn’t be of any benefit to the irish people Lad
Maybe not a bad idea at all.Up to now it has been politicians and none of them have been outstanding.But ,I think he may have left it too late to get nominated.
@Helena Camella Cummins: The two Mary’s served us well to be fair.
They were never TDs but had been aligned to political parties at a time in their life. Mary Mc was the nearest that a Shinner got in (She was on the FF ticket but she use to be accused for being close to SF, while she worked for RTÉ
His campaign song will no doubt be Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Park’…
@William Tallon: Wouldn’t it be Born in the USA?
Ah for the love of jaaayyysus!
I hereby nominate Matress Mick!
All ye say yay/nay!?
Did Fianna Fail just draw up a big list of everyone who was relevant and popular in the early 90′s and they’re going round asking all of them to run?
Because Linda Martin, Niall Quinn, Packie Bonner, Tommy Tiernan and now Michael Flatley all seem to follow the same trend.
Would be great
@Martin O Donnell: Agreed. If he promised to jig at all events I’d vote for him.
Sure, send in the clowns.
Higgins politicised the role way too much.
I guess now that is what to expect.
Twink all the way.
@David Field: She’s no Gene Hackman.
Is he really that deluded? Even at the height of his Riverdance Fame he was not popular. A try hard
Claims to be Orish and first thing he does is act like an English landlord and takes over a castle
(To be fair, he restored it and I don’t begrudge people and their well earned wealth)
@Val O’Connell: Prove he was not popular?
@Aidan: Who is Val O Connor is it?
@Dar: Review your grammar!
@Aidan: You understand or you don’t Ehhhhhhhdo!!!!
Better than that old Connilly wagon
Dose !
Is there anyone that’s not a complete dose considering running?
This presidency run is doomed.
@Clare McKernan: Can’t be worse than the last one. They were coming out from underneath rocks to get their 5 minutes of airtime. And who can forget the lovely Gemma O’D!
Met him once at the top of Rathmines once getting a chip butty from haveakabab or something..
.
Nope that was Daniel o Donnell.
Maybe he should run ?
Michael Flatley vs Michael Flatcap.
He’s definitely got my vote. Fantastic, a breath of fresh air, energy and enthusiasm. Get the hell on with it.
Cocaine Cowboy
With all the success of his film I think it’s possible.
Anybody but looney and warmonger Mairead McGuinness.. that would be really bad
That’d be good craic in fairness
He’ll just make a big song and dance about it. Well dance anyway.
Well he’s better equipped than most.
Used to dealing with people from all walks of life. Doesn’t need the money. And would be a great president on the international stage.
Doc … The president of Ireland will be Micheal flatley. Who Marty ? The dancer !
Ah ti’s a soft mornin and as my dear aul departed da used to say, twas many an ass walked up a short hill, but not as many came back, thank Gad…. or something like that I think maybe.
have your say