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The Taoiseach has said that there will be “many bumpy roads ahead” in relation to Covid-19, but that as a country, Ireland was going through it.
In a virtual meeting of the MacGill Summer School, Micheál Martin said that the virus presents a challenge and that all countries in Europe now face problems.
When asked why it took the government so long to move to level 5 following NPHET’s previous recommendation, Mr. Martin said the country had to prepare in advance, and going from level 2 to level 5 would have been a huge leap.
He said: “In my opinion, it is a very challenging agenda … but as a country we are getting through this, and there will be many bumpy roads ahead with Covid-19, but we have a clear political position working with NPHET.”
Mr. Martin said before moving to Level 5 “Ireland had the strictest restrictions in Europe” while at Level 3, which involved the closure of the hotel sector.
He said one problem was that a lot of behavior developed at Level 2 that “seeded the spread” of the virus.
When asked if he sees the country moving in and out of lockdowns for the foreseeable future, he said the government was trying to suppress the virus through human behavior and restrictions, which it acknowledged was very difficult for people.
Mr Martin said: “The strategy we are following is trying to suppress the virus through human behavior and through restrictions, and it is very difficult for people.
“People are tired now, especially after the first lockdown, to have to go to a second.
“And I think we have learned from the first reopening that the next one is going to be important.
“But I will say that as a country we have managed to keep our economy viable and maintain the foundations for a recovery after Covid.”
The Taoiseach said that it was important that new schemes be established in the Budget to help companies and prepare for the move to Level 5.
Martin said that part of living with Covid-19 was just that and that people were learning how to do that.
He said there were provisions in place and lessons learned from the first time that allowed schools, childcare and construction to stay open now.
The Taoiseach also said that as the government receives advice, it must also take into account broader sets of advice, and that is why it did not make the immediate jump to Level 5.
Decrease in positive tests in the last seven days – Reid
The executive director of the health services executive, Paul Reid, has said that the positivity rate for Covid-19 tests has continued to decline for the past seven days and is now 5.8%.
However, there has been a slight increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus, now standing at 312 this morning, up from 302 at 8pm last night.
There were 27 new hospital admissions for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, while 32 patients were discharged.
Last night there were 38 confirmed Covid-19 patients in intensive care.
This is the first weekend that people across the country will face the new Level 5 restrictions.
While it is too early to see the effect of those restrictions, Mr. Reid said there has been a decrease in positive tests in the past seven days, from 8.9% to the current figure of 5.8%.
Although he said he was reluctant to report a trend, he said he hoped the figure would give people some encouragement and hope.
Yesterday, there were another seven coronavirus-related deaths and 777 new cases.
It brings the total number of cases since the outbreak began to 55,261, while there have been 1,878 Covid-related deaths.
The medical director of the Department of Health has said that young people have had to bear a huge burden during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, Dr. Tony Holohan said that as the father of two boys ages 18 and 20, he knew how the lives of that age group had changed “in every way.”
“The lives of people in that age group have changed in almost every way,” said Dr. Holohan.
Elsewhere, there have been six more Covid-19-related deaths in the latest 24-hour reporting period in Northern Ireland and 923 new cases of the virus, the Department of Health announced.
The death toll recorded by the department is now 645. 33,209 cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland.
There are currently 309 Covid-19 patients being treated in the hospital, with 34 in intensive care.
Reporting by Daniel Quinn, Sinead Crowley, PA
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