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The idea of moving Dublin to Level 4 of the five-tier plan to address the increase in Covid-19 cases in the capital was endorsed by some members of the National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET) at their meeting this week.
But some members were concerned that the government would not go along with such a dramatic move, which was supported by a minority of the team on Thursday, and instead recommended a move to Level 3 with additional restrictions, as announced last night.
Concerns were raised privately that recommending a higher level of restrictions could cause discord between NPHET and the government, generating mixed messages and undermining public health efforts to combat the virus.
Group members believe they may have to recommend an escalation to Level 4 in Dublin in two to three weeks, if infections continue to rise, a move that would shut down all but essential outlets, and only essential workers could travel to workplaces.
Concerns
NPHET also discussed that the entire country should be moved to Level 3 along with Dublin, but concerns were raised that this would dilute the message requiring specific public actions in the capital.
If infection rates continue to rise significantly, the group may recommend a national move to Level 3 next week, it is understood.
Last night, the government announced the toughest restrictions since the shutdown earlier this year, angering Dublin restaurant and bar owners, many of whom say they face an immediate shutdown.
In a televised speech from Government Buildings, Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that Dublin is in a “very dangerous place” and, without action, could quickly return to the worst days of the crisis.
Mr. Martin said he knew the havoc the virus was wreaking on the economy, sports, arts and culture.
“But I also know this, my first and most important obligation, and that of the Government, is to protect you. This virus kills. It kills more old people than young people, but it also kills the young, ”he said.
Describing some of the new restrictions that would affect the capital, Martin said only visitors from another home will be allowed in. Sports training will be allowed, but games will not, while weddings and funerals will be limited to 25 people.
“Many will be upset by what we have to do, but rest assured that our leading medical experts recommend these restrictions,” he said.
Application
People have been asked not to travel outside or within the city and county of Dublin. When asked about law enforcement, Martin said that there would be a greater presence of gardaí on the roads, but that it would be left to individuals to adhere to the guide not to travel in or out of Dublin.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn warned that if action is not taken, the state could face 1,000 cases a day next month.
Dr. Glynn said 1,600 people had contracted Covid-19 in the past two weeks, there were 17 deaths, and the reproduction number was now between 1.3 and 1.7.
“If we don’t stop broadcasts now, we fear we could have 1,000 cases a day by mid-October,” he said.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that many people don’t want to believe it, but the Covid-19 situation was “getting serious again.”
“It’s not all bad,” Varadkar said. “There is hope. If we compare ourselves to many of our neighbors, we are doing relatively well,” adding that Dublin was doing better than Belfast, Amsterdam or Paris.
The government announced an immediate support of 30 million euros for the affected companies, but the groups of the hotel industry said that it would not be enough to face the crisis that its members are going through.
Tourism sector
The Restaurant Association said more than 50,000 jobs would be lost across the industry this weekend. The Irish Hotel Federation said 100,000 jobs had been lost in the tourism sector and another 100,000 were at “immediate risk”. The announced assistance “is far from what is required,” the group said.
NPHET had considered measures that would allow the indoor dining room to continue in Dublin, including limiting the number of tables, reduced capacity, and earlier closing times.
However, in a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly ahead of Friday’s government announcement, Dr. Glynn said that NPHET moved to recommend a ban on indoor eating “given the seriousness of the epidemiological situation in Dublin.”
Dr Glynn said that NPHET’s view was that “the disease profile in Dublin is at an extremely critical juncture” and that the window of opportunity to suppress the virus “without significant additional measures is no longer available.”
“Once again, NPHET fully appreciates that this latest advice will be disappointing, disturbing and challenging for the people of Dublin in particular,” he wrote.
NPHET announced on Friday that there were 253 more cases of coronavirus, 116 of which are in Dublin, and three more deaths.
Of the 253 cases, 143 are men and 108 are women, while 71% are under 45 years of age. Forty-five percent are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case.
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