Public invited to share ‘lived experience' of pandemic with Covid-19 Evaluation Panel

THE PUBLIC IS being invited to share their 'lived experience' of the pandemic with the Covid-19 Evaluation Panel.
The Evaluation Panel has today launched a nationwide public consultation inviting individuals, families, workers, carers, communities and businesses to share their experiences of the pandemic.
The panel said that the insights gathered will inform the Evaluation's final report, which will help Ireland prepare more effectively for future emergencies.
Officially termed the
Covid-19 Evaluation Panel
, the inquiry will provide an account of the strategy and approach to planning for and handling of the pandemic from 1 January 2020 to 29 February 2022.
But unlike a statutory inquiry, the evaluation's chair, Professor Anne Scott,
will not have the power to compel documents or witnesses.
The inquiry will identify lessons learned with regard to health and social care system performance, as well as the wider Government response to managing and mitigating risks.
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It will also recommend guiding principles and processes for future decision-making in the context of a rapidly moving threat of the scale and duration of Covid-19.
The inquiry officially began its work at the start of February and will submit its final report to the Taoiseach within 12-18 months.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin recently said he
'hopes' the Covid-19 inquiry can be 'expedited' so that Ireland can be 'better prepared into the future'.
The public consultation is
open to all adults and can be accessed online here.
The panel said the consultation offers an opportunity for people to share how the pandemic response impacted them to inform future learnings.
Chair of the COVID-19 Evaluation, Professor Scott, remarked that the public consultation is 'the first step in building a clear and honest picture of how COVID-19 was lived and felt throughout Ireland'.
'Our goal is to produce a thorough, independent assessment of Ireland's pandemic response, one that reflects real life as well as official records,' she added.
The consultation will run until 1 July.
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Irish Times

5 hours ago

• Irish Times

Letters to the Editor, June 21st: On public service, the cost of living and sunscreen

Sir, – A stream of commentary in the columns of The Irish Times has crystalised a sobering truth, that ' Our administrative and legal procedures simply cannot unblock the logjam in time to prevent serious damage ', as Michael McDowell put it. ('There is a way to break the logjam in infrastructure', June 18th). Before last Christmas, Patrick Honohan, former governor of the Central Bank, wrote in an Irish Times article: 'The issue is not so much what the aims of public policy should be... the problem has been in delivery'; and recently an Irish Times editorial spoke of our 'sluggish' administrative processes. A simple example illustrates the depth of this dysfunction: a friend of mine, an experienced property expert who spent much of his career in the public sector, repeatedly attempted to draw attention to suboptimal performance in a prominent State body (mirroring wider poor performance manifest in the ballooning housing crisis) and to offer solutions. 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Roaming dogs on the beach Sir. – Having visited Seapoint yesterday evening for a swim, I could not believe the number of dogs still roaming freely among swimmers' belongings and in the sea, in spite of signs everywhere saying ' No Dogs'. Also, where we were changing there was a large abandoned dog poo for unaware swimmers to walk into... disgusting. There were many children there yesterday who do not like dogs and I don't think it is fair for them to have to endure this. Where are the dog wardens patrolling this area? They should be there constantly in the summer months. – Yours, etc, EILEEN BANNAN, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Always wear sunscreen Sir, – As an Australian, now happily resident in Ireland, your cover photo of sunbathers ('Hotting up', June 20th) prompts me to share the hard-earned wisdom of my people: slip, slop, slap. More specifically, slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. 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Irish Examiner

5 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

Cosmetic procedure legislation has been 'just sitting on somebody's desk' for eight years, medic says

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