THREAD on pregnant healthcare workers and #COVID19 (1/5):

This piece in the Irish Times is a must-read. It offers a proper insight into the frontlines of Ireland's war on the virus https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/this-is-war-irish-health-workers-on-their-covid-19-crises-1.4218979

In one section, they spoke to pregnant nurses. Part of that section is below. The question they ask is reasonable: "If you are pregnant or if your wife is pregnant, will you still let them work in the frontline?" (2/5)

It's a reasonable question that we've been asking too. There's limited evidence on pregnancy and COVID-19, but for now, we believe that pregnant women of any gestation should be offered the choice to redeploy during the pandemic. (3/5)

This choice should be respected and supported by their employer and include, for example, offers of homeworking or redeployment to administrative, management or phone-based work.

Here's our full letter to the HSE on this. They have not yet agreed to what we've proposed. (4/5)

Frontline workers - especially those in the health service - rightly get much public praise.

But that praise has to be backed by action.

At the very least, employers should ensure that the health concerns of potentially vulnerable staff are listened to. (5/5)