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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has warned that Dublin is in a “very dangerous place” and without action, it could return to the worst days of the crisis.
In a live address to the nation, Martin said he knew the havoc the virus was wreaking on the economy, sports, the arts and culture.
“I know, my first and most important duty is to protect you. This virus kills. It kills the elderly, but also the young, ”he said.
He said the new restrictions for Dublin would leave “a lot of people angry” but that it was necessary to protect life. Mr Martin spoke after the Government decided that as of midnight tonight, the city and county of Dublin would go to alert level three for the next three weeks.
Martin highlighted some of the new restrictions that would affect the capital.
Visitors from another home will be allowed in. Training but not games will be allowed. Weddings and funerals will be limited to 25 people. People have been asked not to travel outside or within the city and county of Dublin.
“Many will be upset by what we have to do, but rest assured that our leading medical experts recommend these restrictions (in this field).”
He said questions had been asked about the break in the indoor dining room for the next three weeks.
“The fact is that while we are seeing a lot of infection in people’s homes, the initial infection is happening in the community,” he said.
He argued that the government needed “to act now and with a common purpose.”
“We owe it to the memory of all those who have taken this virus.”
He added: “We are a resilient people. As a nation, we have been through all kinds of trials and difficulties and this too will pass. “
Positivity rate
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that many people do not want to believe it but that Covid-19 was getting serious.
Mr. Varadkar was the first speaker at a press conference with Mr. Martin, Minister of Transportation Eamon Ryan, and Medical Director Ronan Glynn.
He said the positivity rate had risen to more than 2 percent and the rate had tripled.
“Its not all bad. There is hope. If we compare ourselves to many of our neighbors, we are doing relatively well, ”and he said Dublin was doing better than Belfast, Amsterdam or Paris.
As for the impact on businesses and employers, he said some people would be laid off “sadly” for the second time this year and some businesses would close.
He said people would be entitled to pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) if they were not working. She said an additional € 30 million would be released for Dublin in the form of restart grants, as well as € 5 million for the sport.
Mr. Varadkar repeated all the individual protocols that people must observe, including hand washing and the use of face masks.
‘Difficult decisions’
Transport Minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the incidence of the disease in Dublin was twice that of other parts of the country and was increasing between 5% and 7% every day.
“For every 1,000 additional people who contract the virus, we have 50 people who are hospitalized and five to ten people admitted to the ICU and between 5 and 10 deaths,” he said. For this reason, he said, “difficult decisions” had to be made.
“We need to take three weeks to stop this disease and go back to Level Two and Level One,” he said.
When asked about the high incidence of community transmission, Dr. Glynn said: “There is no country that does not have a significant proportion of community transmission cases.”
He said that the State had to take measures to reduce the congregations and this time it was the social congregations.
Outdoor dining
The Taoiseach told the press conference that the Government would work with the four Dublin city councils in Dublin to ensure that alfresco dining could be held.
When asked about the role of the new oversight group, which acts as a buffer between the NPHET council and the Cabinet, the Taoiseach said that no changes were made to the advice received from NPHET.
When asked if NPHET had considered imposing a Level 4 restriction in Dublin, Dr. Glynn said: “We looked at the levels in the round and there was consensus that Level 3 was the appropriate level.
“The purpose of moving now is to avoid going to something more severe in a few weeks.”
From left to right: Minister Eamon Ryan, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at tonight’s briefing. Photography: Julien Behal
When asked about the lower rates of hospitalizations in Spain and France compared to last March, Dr. Glynn said that the profile of the disease now compared to then was different in its trajectory, and also somewhat different in terms of hospitalization and mortality.
“What is very clear is that there is no evidence that the virus has changed.
“Nothing has changed in the way we prevent or treat it. There is no evidence to suggest that the outcome will be different. “
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