[ad_1]
Updated 7 minutes ago
An UNSCHEDULED CABINET meeting will be held today to discuss the “rapid” and “exponential” growth of Covid-19 infections in Ireland and the UK.
This comes as health officials in Ireland confirmed another nine deaths and 1,546 cases of Covid-19 last night.
At 2:00 p.m. yesterday, 411 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized, of which 34 are in the ICU.
In Northern Ireland, another 14 deaths and 1,566 additional cases of the virus were confirmed yesterday.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said that the cabinet will have to decide today on the climate to change or remove “some or all” of the modifications to the Level 5 restrictions currently in place.
“We are in troubled times. We have to respond to the situation as we see it. And the reality is here that there is a UK variant now confirmed in Ireland, we are dealing with something unknown there, ”he said.
“We do not know to what extent it is contributing to the rate of spread of the virus at the moment, but it is true that the growth rate of the virus in recent times exceeds all predictions.”
Taoiseach Michael Martin is expected to make an announcement later today on the Cabinet decisions.
Speaking in News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 yesterday afternoon, the minister said that the Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) are “very concerned” about the growth of cases and hospitalizations in recent days.
When asked if public health restrictions could be tightened in the coming days, Donnelly said the Cabinet “will review the measures that are in place” and “consider the restrictions in light of the increase in cases and hospitalizations.
The government is particularly concerned, he said, about a variant strain of Covid-19 that is prevalent in the UK.
“What we are watching very closely is what is happening in the UK because this variant, which appears to be much more contagious than what we have been dealing with so far, is driving very rapid growth in the UK.
“We are starting to see reports in the media about NHS hospitals starting to feel overwhelmed by Covid and Covid patients. Obviously that’s not something we want to see here, ”Donnelly said.
No news is bad news
Support the magazine
your contributions help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
Support us now
Schools
As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Ireland, the Irish National Teachers Organization (INTO) has asked the government to consider delaying the start of the next school term until January 11 at the earliest.
INTO Secretary General John Boyle made the request in a letter to Education Minister Norma Foley.
In his letter, Boyle requested that the start of the next school year be delayed until Monday, January 11 “at the earliest.”
“INTO remains firmly committed to supporting our 42,000 members in safe workplaces, as they strive to teach and support the well-being of their students at school, where children undoubtedly benefit greatly,” Boyle wrote.
“However, it is now very clear that the ability of schools to operate normally is likely to be seriously affected due to the increased numbers of staff and students who will need to isolate themselves or restrict movement in the weeks after Christmas,” he said.
INTO raised a number of concerns regarding the reopening of schools next month, including the number of positive cases identified as a result of mass testing in schools this month, and the new strain of Covid-19, believed to be which is 70% more transmissible. , which has been identified in Ireland.
With reporting by Ian Curran
[ad_2]