What prompted Ireland to move to Level 5 restrictions?

IRELAND MUST move to level 5 coronavirus restrictions as of midnight Wednesday, in an effort to curb the rise in the level of Covid-19 cases.

When he announced the change yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “asking everyone again to take this threat seriously.”

He said that although the spread of the coronavirus has slowed under Level 3 restrictions, “this has not been enough, and more action is now required.”

In recent weeks, we have seen the number of diagnosed cases of Covid-19 increase exponentially. We’ve also heard concerns about the 14-day incidence rate, ICU beds, community transmission, and groups.

In this week’s podcast, we take a look at all the factors that influenced the decision to move to Level 5.

To give a proper overview, host Sinéad O’Carroll speaks with three of our reporters. Michelle Hennessy analyzes the situation in the health service; Colonel Thomas discusses contact tracing, nursing homes, and NPHET’s relationship with the government; and Nicky Ryan shares the latest on Northern Ireland and other countries, as well as the WHO position on the blockades.

Background reading:

Source: The Explainer / SoundCloud

This episode was produced by host Sinéad O’Carroll, producer Aoife Barry, producer and technical operator Nicky Ryan, and executive producer Christine Bohan. The guests were reporters Michelle Hennessy, Colonel Thomas and Nicky Ryan.