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Starting December 31, stores selling non-essential products will be closed and school holidays in Ireland will be extended to stop a mutation in the coronavirus that is spreading faster than expected, Irish Prime Minister Micheál said on Wednesday. Martin.
Ireland still had one of the lowest infection rates in Europe a few weeks ago, but the average number of infections in five days has more than tripled in the last two weeks, rising to more than 1,200 per day following the easing of the epidemiological measures before Christmas.
Martin said the new strain of the virus, which according to UK authorities is about 70 percent more contagious than previously known, is spreading much faster and threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system.
It is spreading at such a speed that it outstrips even the most pessimistic models. The situation is extremely serious
Martin warned in a televised speech.
Following the pre-Christmas relaxation, the Dublin administration imposed further restrictions on December 22, including closing bars and restaurants and imposing travel restrictions. The original idea was to have the stores open until December 31 and allow home visits.
However, on Wednesday, a ban on visits was ordered, which prevented the New Year’s Eve parties and extended the school break by five days until January 11. The country will maintain the highest level of adjustment for at least a month, for example closing stores that sell non-essential products. In addition, people may move away from their place of residence up to a maximum of five kilometers, except in duly justified cases.
According to Martín, the current wave of the epidemic differs from previous ones in that less time elapses between the increase in the number of infected and those treated in hospitals.
Irish health authorities have recently reported that the number of patients treated in hospitals has almost doubled in the last week, while the number of infected people will double every 7 to 10 days unless more measures are taken to prevent it.
In the last 24 hours, the number of infected people has risen to a record 1,718. In a country of nearly five million people, 90,157 have so far been infected with the coronavirus, of which 2,226 have died from the disease.
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