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People in Dublin and Limerick must assume that Covid-19 is circulating in the community and adhere to social distancing, the acting medical director said.
Dr Ronan Glynn said the Health Department was “particularly concerned” about the increase in Covid-19 cases in Dublin and Limerick.
“Next week is vital and people really need to cut back on their social contacts,” he said.
“They must take all the precautions during the next week in those counties.
“They must now assume again, unfortunately, that Covid is circulating in the community and act appropriately.”
(Image: Collins)
Dr Glynn added: “I cannot say strongly enough that people in Dublin in particular must respect physical distancing. They must reduce their social contacts.”
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said Monday that another 102 new cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in Ireland, bringing the total number of cases to date to 29,774.
No more deaths related to the pandemic were reported.
During the last 14 days, 1,672 cases were reported, giving a 14-day incidence of 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Of those cases, the average age was 33 years, and 70% occurred in people under 45 years of age.
Almost half (47%) of all cases were located in Dublin, 8% in Kildare, 7% in Limerick, 6% in Tipperary and 3% in Cork, with the rest of the cases distributed between 21 counties.
The Health Department said six new groups were registered at workplaces, none of which were in meat plants.
Dr. Glynn said he was also concerned about the increase in the number of people receiving treatment in hospitals, with 49 confirmed cases in hospitals and six in intensive care units.
He said that people still have the power to change trajectory, but that all people should have a higher level of risk perception than at this time.
“If you are meeting people, meet them outside,” he said.
“We want you to socialize, we want you to meet people, the last thing we want in winter is for people to be isolated, but we really need people to do it more safely.
Professor Pete Lunn of ESRI’s Behavioral Research Unit said at the NPHET briefing that a recent study on the perception of risk associated with Covid-19 had found that the public had “absorbed public health messages very well.” .
But he said the study that compared the public’s perceptions of risk with the risk perceptions of health experts found that the public underestimated the importance of being outdoors.
“Getting outdoors and having social interactions outdoors reduces risk more than the public thinks,” he said.
“Getting together outside makes a big difference.”
He said the study also found that when asked if they would call a GP right away if they developed one of the classic Covid-19 symptoms, only about 50% of the general public responded that they would.
“If you have any symptoms that could be Covid, whether they are classic or secondary symptoms, you should pick up the phone and call the GP and get that phone consultation,” Professor Lunn said.
He said that as people develop more cold and flu symptoms in the winter months, it will become even more important.
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