Tag Archives: Coronvirus

OUTBREAKS of Covid-19 have been confirmed in a quarter of nursing homes in Clare, The Champion has learned. News of clusters in four out of the county’s 16 homes has prompted renewed calls for greater medical supervision of these facilities. There were a total of 13 nursing home clusters in the Midwest area covering Limerick, Clare and North Tippeary, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) up to May 24. Data released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) now indicate that Clare accounts for just under one-third of these. Reacting to the figures, Deputy Michael McNamara, who is Chair of the Covid-19 Dáil Committee, has called on the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to provide it with details of the homes it identified, at the outset of the pandemic, as being at particular risk. At Tuesday’s committee hearing, Mary Dunnion of HIQA said a list had been sent to the HSE in February or March. “These, …

A WEST Clare company that is steeped in tradition dating back hundreds of years has found itself diversifying radically to stay alive, and to serve the public during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kilkee Forge, which dates back to the 1700s, and is now run by fifth-generation blacksmith and industrial designer Conor Murray. With his normal bespoke commissions for sculptural projects and outdoor furniture drying up dramatically because of the Coronavirus restrictions, Conor identified a need for protective products for small businesses locally and drew on resources recently acquired by the businesses to create a new line of highly sought after products. “I had to pivot because while our regular lines of work were disappearing, new needs were arising,” he explained. “I could see that, in terms of the protective perspex sneeze guards, that the bigger shops and supermarkets were quickly looked after but the smaller ones weren’t. It seemed that, in West Clare in particular, smaller businesses were being left behind …