Around 75 asylum seekers who have been quarantined in a direct provision centre in Co Kerry for a fortnight have been told they must stay indoors for another 14 days after two more residents tested positive for Covid-19.
Residents at the former Skellig Star Hotel in Cahersiveen received a letter from the HSE on Friday stating that “restrictions on movement” were being extended for another two weeks.
The HSE confirmed that two more people had tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing to 25 the number of positive tests at the centre. It said there was “clear evidence that some residents are not following the public health recommendations” and this was “causing further infection” in the hotel.
“We know that many residents are following the public health guidelines at all times and we thank those residents for helping keep their fellow residents and themselves safe,” the letter states.
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“However, unless all residents follow the above social distancing guidelines, it is likely that this outbreak will continue for some time in the Skellig Star and this could potentially be very serious for some of your fellow residents.”
Avoid contact
The HSE advised those in the centre to avoid contact with older residents, pregnant women or any person with an underlying health condition. It is understood that two women living at the centre recently gave birth.
A man living in the former hotel with his family called for residents to be moved as the virus was continuing to circulate there.
“This is a very beautiful town with a nice population but if the virus goes to them – a vulnerable, ageing population – what will happen?” he asked. “The best thing is to shut down this hotel for at least three to four months and move people from here.”
A local woman, who took part in a protest on Thursday against the conditions in the centre, agreed that the virus would continue to rotate inside the centre until a deep clean was carried out.
She said some in Cahersiveen initially panicked about the risk of the virus spreading when asylum seekers arrived there in March but concerns had since shifted to the conditions being reported by those living in the centre.
“That’s the main priority now and I’m so proud of my community for the kindness it has shown.”
Health guidance
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said it had contacted Minister of State for immigration David Stanton asking about the health guidance provided to residents of the centre, the actions being taken by management and the measures being taken to protect people’s health and wellbeing.
“The commission is particularly concerned at media reports that residents who may have come into contact with a confirmed Covid-19 are facing restrictions on their movements outside the centre that are more onerous than those which apply to the population at large,” it said.
John Lannon, director of migrant rights group Doras Luimní, said he was “astonished” by the HSE letter. He said blaming the outbreak on asylum seekers was “flawed and unreasonable”. He called for residents to be moved to “more suitable” accommodation immediately.
Fiona Finn, chief executive of migrant rights group Nasc, said that “to suggest that the residents are in any way responsible for the continued spread of the virus of the centre is reprehensible and the worst form of victim blaming”.
Clusters
There were 176 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in direct provision centres across the State as of Thursday, with nine clusters identified and 10 people hospitalised with the virus.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it was working closely with the HSE to monitor the situation at the centre but that the request to quarantine was public health advice. “We know that the current restrictions are difficult for residents but the purpose of this HSE guidance is to protect the health of residents, staff and the wider community”.
The spokesman said additional outdoor space had been made available to residents and that exercise equipment would be installed. He said a HSE community development worker was on site five days a week.
