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Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said that a second lockdown might be necessary to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.
The Fine Gael leader said in today’s Sunday Independent that a circuit breaker lockout could be the way to quickly halt the growth of the virus.
A circuit breaker lockout (two weeks to break transmission chains) is possible in the next few weeks.
Varadkar told the Sunday Independent: “It is possible that (the switch lock) will be necessary at some point. No other country in Europe has tried this. It would be an experiment but it could work. In Israel it seems to be working.”
HSE chief Paul Reid said this morning that the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
(Image: Niall Carson / PA Wire)
Mr Reid said: “Covid-19 is getting worse at a rate. We all need to be realistic and do our part to protect patients and our healthcare workers.
“The increase in hospital cases leads to more people in the ICU and canceling the heart, cancer and other care. Let’s change this quickly by doing the right thing today.”
Dr Tony Holohan has also delivered a harsh message after 1,012 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Ireland.
He said: “I am very concerned about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating.
“Today’s 1,012 cases were reported to HPSC over a 24-hour period until midnight.
“The 14-day incidence rate has increased from 108 per 100,000 last Sunday to 150 per 100,000 today, which is a 39% increase.
“All the important indicators of the disease are deteriorating. For example, there has been a steady increase in test positivity over the past week. The positivity rate of the test as of midnight on Friday, October 9, was 6.2%, which has more than doubled in less than fifteen days.
“The number of cases is increasing in all age groups and across the country.”
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