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The scenes of hundreds of people flocking to Cork city center over the weekend to socialize in a ‘carnival’ setting are cause for concern, says one of the city’s leading health experts.
Public health councils are clear about the need to reduce contacts and avoid crowds, according to Professor Mary Horgan, an infectious disease consultant at Cork University Hospital (CUH).
“Saturday night there were crowds. That is the scenario in which the virus is transmitted and that is what we want to avoid. It’s never good to point fingers at people, but these are the basics we’ve all had to live with in recent weeks. “
Being outdoors in a household or bubble helps mitigate some risks, he said, but larger groups are a “cause for concern.”
Nine minor public order arrests were made, but Gardaí insists that the majority of the public overwhelmingly complied with public health restrictions.
One of the city’s leading publicans, Ernest Cantillon, said that forcing people to squeeze out their Christmas socializing in a week or two runs the risk of drawing huge crowds. Cantillon, owner of Sober Lane and Electric Bar, closed his bars to take out drinks at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night.
“The city around 6pm was full, but it had a very nice atmosphere. People were out in the open, moving around, pushing carts, buying hot coffee or wine, and wearing masks. At 10 p.m., he estimates there were about 1,000 people in the city center, including many teenagers and young people. He also saw many older people who “would never have come out during the first confinement.”
“If people are going out, pubs and restaurants are safe environments. This talk of squeezing the holidays into a week or two [at Christmas]You’re going to have the same amount of people who want to go out but with much less capacity, so you’ll end up with more people on the streets. ”
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