Ireland reported its full daily number of new cases of coronavirus since the beginning of May in an update that the country’s chief medical officer called “deeply concerned”.
Health officials on Saturday confirmed 200 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 27,191. No new deaths were reported. The death toll stands at 1,774.
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“We now have multiple clusters with secondary spread of disease and increasing number of cases in many parts of the country,” said Drs. Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer, in a statement. “This goes deep.”
Most infections were reported in just two counties, with 81 in Kildare and 56 in neighboring Dublin.
Tourists with face masks walk past a closed pub in Dublin city center on March 16. (AP Photo / Peter Morrison, File)
Health officials have so far 68 of the new cases are able to trace after outbreaks or close contacts of a confirmed case. They identified 25 cases as community transmissions.
Glynn said health officials would monitor the situation “extremely closely” and urge citizens, especially those over 70 or with underlying health conditions, to limit their contacts and keep social distance.
“This virus is still there and has not gone away,” he said. “COVID-19 is trying to capitalize on self-sufficiency and is just waiting for the opportunity to spread.”
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Ireland has been among the slower members of the European Union to restart its economy, and twice postponed a move to its final phase of opening, Reuters reported. Nightclubs and pubs that do not serve food have remained closed throughout the country.
