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A NUMBER of staff at Wheatfield Prison in Dublin tested positive for Covid-19.
All employees and prisoners will now be screened as a precaution.
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A spokesperson said in a statement: “The Irish Prison Service can confirm that various staff members tested positive for Covid 19 at Wheatfield Prison.”
“The Irish Prison Service is working closely with Public Health, HSE and contact tracing is ongoing.
“There are no positive cases among the prison population to date.
“As a precautionary measure, the Irish Prison Service, in conjunction with the HSE, will assess all prisoners and staff.
“Another test will be scheduled on the 7th for all inmates and all staff.
“This second stage of testing will support a more comprehensive result and help a more normal return to prison regimes.
“An Outbreak Control Team (OCT) has been established to agree on and monitor the appropriate actions that should be taken to mitigate the possible spread of the disease within the prison.”
Meanwhile, 1,718 new cases were announced in Ireland tonight, the highest number of daily detections since the pandemic began.
The Health Department also confirmed 13 more deaths related to Covid-19.
‘STAY AT HOME’
Dr. Tony Holohan, medical director, also said “everyone should stay home.”
He said: “Ireland is no longer in a containment phase and is once again in a mitigation phase.
“Given the current levels of transmission in the community, all people should be considered potentially infectious.
“It is essential that we all limit our contacts to our own home now, restrict our movements, and do not give Covid-19 any more opportunities to spread.
“Everyone needs to stay home, except for essential jobs or care. This is not the time to visit other houses. “
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The country’s R number is now between 1.6 and 1.8.
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Professor Philip Nolan, Chairman of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, said; “The number of reproduction is still very high and is currently estimated at 1.6 – 1.8.
“The growth rate is estimated to be 7-10% per day with a doubling time of 7-10 days.
“We must take immediate action to prevent an almost unimaginable scenario, where the number of cases in 7 to 10 days is double what it is today. Stay at home.”
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