The Minister for Health has announced the establishment of an expert panel to examine how nursing homes should deal with Covid-19.
This follows a recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team earlier this month. Simon Harris said the panel would examine national and international measures in response to Covid-19 as well as emerging best practice.
He said this was in light of the expected ongoing risk of the disease and the impact on nursing homes for up to 18 months. The panel will report to the minister by the end of next month.
In a statement, Mr Harris said the challenges in the nursing-home sector remained an absolute priority for him in the overall response to Covid-19.