Holohan urges people to reduce contacts and avoid crowds

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr. Tony Holohan has asked people to reduce their contacts and avoid the crowds, pubs and restaurants that are approaching Christmas week.

The CMO said on Twitter that Ireland has few Covid-19 cases and deaths compared to other European countries, the UK and the US, but warned that “this is at risk now, just as the vaccines arrive.”

He urged people to stay home, not gather, stay away from pubs and restaurants, and avoid crowds.

Cases are increasing rapidly. We have few cases and deaths compared to the EU / UK / US This is at risk now, just as the vaccines arrive. To protect yourself and your loved ones: Stay home. Don’t get together. Stay away from restaurants / pubs. Avoid the crowds. Wear masks. Follow the health tips. @roinnslainte

– Dr. Tony Holohan (@CMOIreland) December 20, 2020

It comes after health officials confirmed another 527 Covid-19 cases in Ireland and five more deaths.

Dr. Holohan said last night that “the numbers that we are seeing in all the key indicators of the severity of the disease continue to give us solid reason for continued concern.”

“As we move into a week with an exceptionally risky intrafamily and intergenerational mix, remember to act responsibly. Start this weekend. It is never too late to cut your contacts, cancel plans or avoid a crowd, ”said Dr. Holohan.

“Keep in mind that it may well be the link in a chain of transmission that ends with a vulnerable loved one contracting this dangerous disease. Stop that chain of transmission now, limit your movements today, ”he said.

The 14-day national incidence rate is currently 102.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The incidence rate is worst in Donegal, where there are 250 cases per 100,000, and it is less severe in Leitrim at 25 per 100,000.

The 14-day incidence rate in Dublin at 112.6 per 100,000.

As many European countries implement stricter restrictions in the run-up to Christmas, the UK has announced new restrictions to slow the spread of a new mutant strain of coronavirus.

In England, Boris Johnson effectively canceled Christmas for nearly 18 million people in London, the South East and the East of England, as the region was put into a new two-week lockdown starting Sunday.

The Prime Minister said that people should “raise a glass to those who are not there”, knowing that celebrating Christmas apart this year means there will be “a better chance of them being there next year.

Under the new Tier 4 rules, non-essential stores, as well as gyms, movie theaters, casinos, and hair salons, must remain closed and people are limited to meeting another person from another household in a public outdoor space .

Those on Level 4 were told not to travel outside the region, while those outside were warned not to visit.

In the rest of England, Christmas relaxation has been drastically reduced and households are allowed to meet for just one day, on Christmas Day itself, instead of the five days previously planned.

Scotland and Wales are also restricting Christmas “bubbles” to a single day, while Northern Irelandns have been asked to consider forming a bubble for Christmas Day only.