The Tipperary Rural Traveller Project (TRTP) has been pointing out the challenges faced by the traveller community in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Jack Griffin of TRTP told Tipp Mid West this morning that figures show that travellers have poorer health outcomes compared to the general population and are more likely to suffer from chronic health issues, including heart and respiratory conditions, as well as diabetes.
Coupled with the fact that many do not have access to adequate sanitation and hand hygiene facilities on sites, including running water, overcrowding also adds to the vulnerability of the traveller community when it comes to dealing with the virus.
‘unprecedented spirit of social solidarity’
Mr Griffin says that at a local level the Family Support and Primary Healthcare teams in the Tipperary Rural Traveller project are in contact with the HSE and are working to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 within the community as much as possible.
But he has pointed out that the provision of sufficient resources for the sector has traditionally been slower than for other parts of the Irish economy. This, he added, highlights the necessity for resources to be freed-up and allocated without having to worry about being penalised by the funding bodies afterward.
Mr Griffin has also called for an ‘unprecedented spirit of social solidarity’ to help deal with the challenges being faced.
For updated and factual Public Health information and advice on COVID-19 Coronavirus, please visit hse.ie/coronavirus or call 1800 700 700
For the latest information on the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme, please visit hse.ie/covid-19-vaccine
