DUP MP: Robin Swann should publish key data which would explain proposals to close hospitality sector

The numbers of people in hospital and also being treated in Intensive Care are at levels last seen at the start of May. The strain placed on our health service should not be ignored.

It is vital that the transmission of Covid is blunted and we reduce the number of people who will contract and ultimately pass away from this terrible virus.

Virtually every measure to prevent that spread however comes at a very high cost to our economy.

The economy is not some abstract concept however. The economy means jobs and livelihoods. It means the ability of people to pay their mortgage and afford Christmas presents for their children. There will be no support or subsidy scheme that will ever protect jobs and businesses better than allowing them to trade normally. Therefore the restrictions imposed must be targeted towards where they will be most effective.

Restrictions will also only be effective if the public support and adhere to them. The best way for that to happen is to ensure people understand why they have been taken and the evidence backing that up. They should also be confident that breaches of regulations will be properly investigated and enforcement action taken; something which has been largely absent up to now.

The situation is different now to that which existed in May across a number of key areas. Our testing capacity is now much greater than it was then and significant amounts of data have been collected. The postcode of everyone who has tested positive in recent months is known, alongside their employment status and place of work.

The Health Minister could provide this data and help explain why proposals came forward which saw restrictions placed on hospitality, close contact services and significant family events such as weddings and funerals.

Data published in other parts of the UK includes information on the locations people visited in the days before they were tested. Whilst this obviously does not pinpoint the exact place where the person became infected, it can provide a valuable insight into sites where they may have transmitted it to others.

There is also information published on the settings where they came into contact with those who have been identified as a close contact through the track and trace system.

The publication of more detailed data can only help boost understanding of the choices being faced by Ministers as they seek to curb the spread of Covid-19 whilst balancing the huge impact upon our economy.

No one deserves that information more than all those across Northern Ireland who either turned the key on their business at 6pm yesterday evening or vastly reduce the service they can provide.

Growing cynicism about the regulations will inevitably lead to growing resentment and a reduction in compliance. It is only through short, targeted and effective interventions that the goal of protecting both lives and livelihoods can be achieved and support from the public will be maintained.

This data held by the Department of Health can play a key role in achieving that aim.

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