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Ireland could enter a second national lockdown after the country’s health service recommended that it move to Level 5 of its coronavirus plan.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin and the leaders of his two coalition partners will meet with the medical director before a cabinet meeting this morning, two government sources said.
At level 5, people are asked to stay home except to exercise within five kilometers, and only essential retailers will be allowed to stay open.
However, schools and nurseries will not have to close.
Dr Mary Favier, a member of Ireland’s National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET), said the country could see 1,500-2,000 cases a day next month if strict measures are not imposed.
He also warned that Ireland could run out of ICU beds at that point if the increase in cases continues.
“If we continue on the current trajectory, at the beginning of November we will have between 1,500 and 2,000 cases per day and possibly we will not have ICU occupancy,” he told RTE’s Morning Ireland.
“The reality is that if things continue as they are, if you or I had a serious traffic accident in November or if we needed emergency heart surgery, there may not be an intensive care bed for you or me.”
But HSE CEO Paul Reid, who is not involved in NPHET, warned of the impacts of a second lockdown.
A health expert warned of the effects of a second blockade
“There are obvious concerns about trends in #COVID-19. But we also know the impacts of severe and regular restrictions in society on public health, well-being, mental health and the economy, “he wrote on Twitter.
“The level 5 recommendation to the government should also be considered in this context. @HSELive.”
Most of Ireland is currently under Tier 2 restrictions, with stricter Tier 3 measures in Dublin and Donegal.
On Saturday, the country reported its highest number of daily cases since late April and the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital has risen steadily to 132.
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Ireland’s two-week case rate of 104.6 per 100,000 inhabitants is only the fourteenth highest infection rate of 31 European countries monitored by the European Center for Disease Control.
However, Ireland has a relatively low capacity of hospital beds compared to other European countries.
Ireland’s leading business lobby group Ibec has called for the evidence supporting the council to be released.
“It is intolerable that after six months we continue to receive vague and changing criteria to promote such serious restrictions,” Ibec Chief Executive Danny McCoy said in a statement.
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