People should ‘watch their plans’ and cut back on contacts as Ireland battles third wave, Holohan says

PEOPLE NEED to “look at their plans” in the coming weeks and reduce their contact with other people as the country grapples with the third wave of Covid-19, said Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan.

The government has announced that the country will re-enter a Level 5 lockdown for at least a month after a new daily record for the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases here.

Yesterday, health officials reported 1,718 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Another 13 patients with the disease have also died in the past 24 hours, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

It brings the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Ireland to date to 2,226. A total of 90,157 cases have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic.

Speaking on Morning Ireland today, Holohan said that current levels of virus transmission are “simply unsustainable.”

Holohan said that people should take steps to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the coming weeks.

“All the people listening this morning have the opportunity now to observe his behavior, to see his plans in the course of the next few weeks.

“As we move into the new year tonight, and then into the early days of the new year and the resumption of schools on January 11, we have an opportunity to take action that can change these transmission patterns and achieve the right rates. of impacts that we made both in wave two and in wave one as a whole society “.

Holohan said that many people increased their socialization over the Christmas period, but what matters now is the next few days and weeks.

“Right now it doesn’t matter much, you know, the fact that you were socializing over the course of the past few weeks or whatever.

“Now is an opportunity to look back at your activities and say, for the next few weeks, I will do everything I can to limit my social contacts, I will stay home as long as I can.

“I am going to protect myself and my families from getting this infection. I will think about the most vulnerable people in my community, in particular my family and close contacts, and I will take steps to limit the transmission of the infection between those people. “

‘Stay at home’

When asked if he believed the government reopened part of the hotel sector too early in December, against NPHET’s advice, Holohan said that NPHET’s job is to make recommendations but that the government has to “balance” a number of issues.

“Our job is to assess what we think is happening with the transmission of the virus and make recommendations on what we think we will need to do to interrupt that transmission.

“The government has a different job to do, which is to consider a wide range of other issues to arrive at a balanced assessment on behalf of our country. And that’s what the government has done from the beginning. “

Speaking on the same program, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said everyone must do their part to help bring “a sharp escalation and rise of this virus … under control as we launch the vaccine.”

McEntee said everyone should “stay home unless absolutely necessary.”

He added that the decision to delay the reopening of schools until January 11 “gives the staff and students of the schools the opportunity for the next few days to be at home and obviously limit their movements.”