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The Tánaiste has said that border counties may be subject to further restrictions as the Northern Ireland Executive stepped up measures to address the spread of Covid-19 there.
Leo Varadkar said the government will respond to any decision made in Northern Ireland, but the incidence of the virus in Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan is the highest in Ireland, so these counties may be subject to additional restrictions.
Speaking at RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Varadkar said that “to the best of our ability” there is an effort to coordinate and cooperate with Northern Ireland, although the Stormont Executive has not accepted an all-island approach.
When asked if further restrictions could mean school closures, as is being considered in Northern Ireland, Vardakar said the government’s ‘Living with Covid’ plan allowed schools to remain open even at Level 5.
He said it is based on international evidence showing that schools, particularly elementary schools, are not a major cause of transmission.
Varadkar said that the government will listen tomorrow to what the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) says, and the new model on the positivity rate at the national level, before making any further decisions.
“We will have to respond as best we can to what is happening in the North”
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar Says Covid-19 Level of Restrictions May Tighten in Border Counties, But No Intention to Close Schools | Live updates: https://t.co/A6wUhva3Jr pic.twitter.com/BauD1FZQQD
– RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 14, 2020
Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she is again concerned about the spread of the virus in nursing homes.
Speaking on the same show, he said that people should listen carefully to NPHET’s advice this week and if more restrictions are decided, “we will trust people to dig deep again.”
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Ms. McDonald said that to control community transmission in border areas where “they are essentially a community,” more action is needed.
He added that it makes sense to have an all-island approach, and while there has been cooperation, there is no complete shared approach to addressing the spread of the virus.
The medical director has said that the spread of Covid-19 is a problem for the entire population.
Dr. Tony Holohan has asked everyone to follow the public health guidelines and has said that people themselves are the front line defense against disease.
Last night three more deaths were announced and 811 new cases were confirmed.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland to 1,830 with 44,159 confirmed cases.
The 14-day incidence rate is 177 per 100,000 population.
Almost 20% of all Covid-19 cases in Ireland to date have been reported in the past two weeks, with 8,436 new cases registered in the 14 days to midnight on Monday.
Cavan has the highest rate of the virus in the country at 412, followed by Donegal, Monaghan and Clare counties, all of which have rates above 300.
Health officials say there is now widespread transmission of the virus in the community and warn that if this pattern grows, the most vulnerable people will become infected, resulting in more hospitalizations and deaths.
The Covid advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners said there should be between three and four weeks of increased restrictions and greater public acceptance to suppress transmission of the virus.
Dr Mary Favier said the Republic is only two to three weeks behind Northern Ireland and faces a more challenging situation in our health services as capacity and resources are depleted.
She said GPs are seeing an increase in cases in recent weeks and while there has been some leveling off in the numbers in Dublin under Tier 3 restrictions, it is not enough.
Meanwhile, a Donegal doctor has said there are positive signs that Level 3 restrictions are working in the county.
Dr. Denis McCauley, who works in a practice with 10,000 patients in Stranorlar, said the influx of people has decreased in terms of people contacting them for the Covid-19 assessment.
He said the number of positive cases has dropped from 20 in the first week to 13 last week and there have only been four positive results this week so far.
Plus, he said, the positive cases they’re seeing now are actually associated cases from the previous surge.
Dr. McCauley said he had a meeting with other Donegal doctors last night and the feeling among them is that Level 3 is working.
Cases across the county also saw a drop yesterday from the mid-30s to 20s, he said, and while there may be a number of reasons for this, he hopes it reflects that Tier 3 is working.
When asked if there should be a move to Level 4 for the county, Dr. McCauley, who is also chair of the committee of general practitioners for the Irish Medical Organization, said that there is a scientific approach behind Level 3 and that we should wait the result of that.
He said the people of Donegal are investing heavily in that approach and we are getting rewards. He said that he would ask everyone to wait for the result, allow NPHET to review the numbers coldly and make an emotionless decision.
Additional reporting Eileen Magnier
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