homes & businesses WICKLOW WE DELIVER!- for 30 years SOUTH EDITION to 44,500 Delivered LOCAL CAB RAIDS LGBTI ALLIES INSPIRATIONAL HERO page 5 page 6 page 10 TimesSOUTH EDITION DELIVERED TO HOMES & BUSINESSES IN: RATHNEW, WICKLOW, GLENEALY, BRITTAS BAY, AVOCA, WOODENBRIDGE, ARKLOW, SHILLELAGH, TINAHELY, REDCROSS, BALLINACLASH, AUGHRIM, RATHDRUM, DONARD, DUNLAVIN, CARNEW, COOLATTIN, BALTINGLASS, BLESSINGTON. Tuesday 3rd November 2020 First Floor, The Boulevard, Quinsborough Road, Bray. A98 R6D7. Tel: 01 - 2869111 E-mail: [email protected] www.wicklowtimes.net SHAMBOLIC TRACK AND TRACING 'BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP AND HAND SANITISER’ Last week when it emerged that people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were asked to trace their own close contacts and that a test centre in Dublin had no staff to man their lab for two weekends, the Department of Health and the HSE seemed to go into panic mode. Contact was made with health professionals who had volunteered for Ireland's Call back in March and they were asked to become part-time contact tracers. These included retired nurses, physiotherapists, radiologists, speech therapists, etc. However, the company able for would-be staff and Stephen Donnelly, who employed by the HSE in effect they were being replied “Contact tracing is emailed those that accepted offered zero-hour an operational/service- the offer to say “Bring your contracts. related matter, and as such own laptop if you have Wicklow Times were queries on it are most one. You might not need contacted by several staff appropriately directed to one while shadowing, but who were shocked by the the Press Office of the you will need one for work content of these emails, HSE for response.” as we are still awaiting especially the GDPR The HSE responded: “A HSE laptops.” The email implications of storing small number of new also said “Bring your own patients information on contact tracer recruits were hand sanitiser.” their personal laptops, and asked to bring their own Contracts or roster we contacted local TD and laptops to training in one of schedules were not avail- Minister for Health, our centres. Due to the Supergirl Clara McNally dressed up for Halloween in Newtown large number of new contact tracing. They recruits, 270 by last Friday, refused to answer this. a small number of new Separately Social laptops are not available Democrats TD Jennifer yet. This cohort of trainee Whitmore expressed major contact tracers will not be concerns after it was accessing the Covid Care revealed that hundreds of Tracker live system until speech and language thera- they are in possession of a pists continue to be rede- During these challenging times Your Local work laptop. The Covid ployed for testing and care tracker is a Microsoft contract tracing leading to Enterprise Office Wicklow is available to Cloud system on a secure many children waiting for server and cannot be much needed assessments. support local businesses accessed by external In response to a devices. All new contact Parliamentary Question FREE Trading Online Voucher Seminar tracers will have a work from Social Democrats Thursday 5th November (2.00pm to 5.00pm). Delivered via Zoom laptop before they are co-leader Róisín Shortall rostered on to begin TD, the HSE confirmed Google Adwords for Businesses contact tracing.” that, as of September, a Tuesday 24th November (9.30am to 12.30pm). Delivered via Zoom This statement is combined total of 317 self-evidently at odds with occupational and speech FREE Brexit Mentoring the emails Wicklow Times and language therapists One to One Sessions has seen that were sent to had been redeployed for applicants. testing and contact tracing. Wednesday 2nd December. We also asked the As Party Spokesperson Delivered via Zoom Minister and HSE would it for Children, Deputy Check out the full range of supports & online training courses on: not be better to have these Whitmore says this is health professionals actual- affecting children in www.localenterprise.ie/Wicklow/Training-Events/Online-Bookings ly employed in the health Wicklow. “The HSE in Local Enterprise Office Wicklow, Wicklow County Campus, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow service and use the ser- their own admission state Phone: 0404 30800 Email: [email protected] vices of people such as that the redeployment of retired Gardai, to do the Continued on Page 3... WICKLOW 2 NEWS TimesLOCAL Tue. 3rd November 2020 Virtual confidence building course for visually impaired Sight loss charity Fighting Blindness is running their final Living with Sight Loss course of 2020. The popular - and free - confidence building course for visually impaired people in Ireland will begin on Thursday 12 November and run every Thursday from 11am to 3pm. The course will finish Thursday, December 10. To meet Covid-19 social distancing guide- lines, the charity trans- formed the face-to-face five week course into a virtual webinar series. This will be the third online version of the course and previous par- ticipants found the online Ruby Treacy with an alien, celebrating Halloween in Arklow last week. delivery convenient, interactive and dynamic. There are over 250,000 people in Ireland living operate from 8am to 8 pm, over the weekend and with blindness or vision Bray Tidy Towns AGM during the week, Telephone: 1800 868 399 or impairment. Living with The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Bray email [email protected]. Trained Sight Loss is designed to Tidy Towns will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday staff are available to co-ordinate assistance to increase the confidence 19th November via Zoom. Agenda will include: elderly and vulnerable persons. and independence of peo- Minutes of Previous AGM, Annual Report, ple who are living with Financial Report, Election of Committee Members. Council opening hours any form of sight loss. If you wish to attend please contact Mary at The informal course will 0872104844 and she will send you a link or email Wicklow County Council, County Buildings, provide information and information online but what I love to do. I would 674 6496 or needtotalk@ [email protected] Wicklow: Opening hours 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. practical advice on a and from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. by appointment range of essential every- nothing can compare to highly recommend this fightingblindness.ie. having a shared experi- course to others and I sin- This course is delivered only. Due to improvement works currently being day topics such as getting Childline highlights service ence of learning new cerely hope they continue through the 'Need to Talk' undertaken at County Buildings a section of the out and about, informa- things in the company of as a problem shared is a project, an emotional following tragic loss of lives main foyer area will be closed to the public to tion about welfare rights, and how technology can others who are also expe- problem halved and there support and confidence comply with Health and Safety requirements. make life that bit easier. riencing sight loss. The is such comfort in know- building service supported The Childline listening service, as delivered by The Central Customer Service area will facili- Niamh (Waterford), a fact that this course was ing you're not alone in by the European the ISPCC, is reminding all children, young people tate members of the public presenting by appoint- participant in a previous delivered through Zoom sight loss." Union's INTERREG VA and families that the service can be contacted for ment for Motor Tax, Housing, Planning and free and in confidence, following news of the tragic virtual Living with Sight really suited me as I had The course is delivered Programme, managed by Environment services. Members of the public are Loss course said, "I direct access from the through the accessible the Special EU Programmes loss of lives in South Dublin last week. requested not to present without prior appoint- Any child or young person up to the age of 18 in found the course very comfort of my home. video conferencing plat- Body (SEUPB). ment. Where possible payments can be made elec- useful and helpful, it was "My overall verdict on form Zoom. A telephone For more information Ireland can contact Childline at any time of the day tronically or by phone, motor taxation can be also or night by calling 1800 66 66 66, chatting online at well structured. The the course is that I have dial in option is also about the Need to Talk be renewed online or submitted by post. Planning Childline.ie, or texting to 50101. speakers were also excel- come away a more confi- available. counselling and confi- applications can also be submitted by post. Childline is here to listen to and support children lent." dent person, while I can't Places are limited and dence support service and young people in relation to any issue which Kathleen (Dublin) change my condition I must be booked in visit www.fightingblind- may be on their mind, or if they would simply like Nitrogen and Phosphorus said, "I know I could can take control and not advance by contacting ness.ie/support/need-to- to talk. The service is non-judgmental, non-directive Statements now probably find a lot of this let it stop me from doing Fighting Blindness on 01 talk and available nationwide. The ISPCC also provides support to parents and available carers, through the ISPCC’s Support Line service. The service can be contacted at any time by email- The Department of Agriculture, Food & the ing [email protected], or between 9am and Marine has announced that interim Nitrogen and 1pm Monday - Friday by calling 01 243 2000. Phosphorus statements (N&P Statements) for the period January to September 2020 are now avail- Community call hours able on the Department’s online system www.agfood.ie.