An infectious disease specialist at the Royal College of Surgeons has said he thinks Irish society would benefit from an easing of some restrictions to allow people to go outside safely with social distancing.

An infectious disease specialist at the Royal College of Surgeons has said he thinks Irish society would benefit from an easing of some restrictions to allow people to go outside safely with social distancing.
Professor Sam McConkey said it is low risk and relatively safe for children and over 70s to work and play outside once masks are worn and people keep their distances.
He said it is inevitable the coronavirus will spread again and must be quickly and effectively identified within hours so that it can be traced and isolated and not continue to spread onwards.
He said it is really key that the testing system is robust and that when a GP orders a test a result is available within a few hours and is followed by action at a public health level to trace contacts within three to six hours.
This is the way to prevent one case being the seed of a new wave of infection, Prof McConkey added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of Ibec said the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic has been huge economically and efforts must begin to return to a new normal.
Danny McCoy said when this situation began, everyone believed it to be temporary but this is clearly not the case and we will all be living with this virus for months.
We need, he said, a roadmap that reflects this reality and we need to be conscious of losing our livelihoods as well as our lives.
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He pointed out that a return to work would involve sharing public space and said companies need to know how this will work. 
Mr McCoy said a whole approach to the problem is needed and questioned if the Government can afford to continue as it is, adding that the pandemic welfare payments were very generous compared to other countries and are not sustainable.
Mr McCoy said it was really important that construction got under way again.