The HSE must update its translated advice for keeping safe during the current pandemic – Seery Kearney

Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery Kearney, Seanad Spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Privacy Rights, has today called for the Minister for Health and the HSE to provide advice on face coverings and Level 3 Protocols in a number of languages to reflect the diverse membership of our communities.

Senator Seery Kearney said: “At the beginning of the current pandemic, the HSE published excellent materials on keeping safe during Covid in over 27 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Russian etc.

“These were all very useful resources for employers, retailers and support groups to ensure that everyone, regardless of their first language, was able to understand how to keep themselves and others safe from Covid.

“Translations are currently available in Romanian, Russian and Bulgarian but not in any other language – for example Arabic or Chinese.

“These resources need to be updated to assist in ensuring that everyone in our community is wearing face coverings properly and can clearly understand the details in adhering to Level 3 restrictions.

“In a constituency like Dublin South Central we have a super community that reflects a whole range of ethnicities.

“Every single person in our community deserves our support and assistance in reducing the levels of the virus and keeping everyone safe.

“What better way to reach our community members who have a first language that is not English than by sharing the advice with them in their own native language.

“I have written to the Minister to seek the immediate updating of the advice online located at https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/partner-resources/covid-19-translated-resources/”.

ENDS