[ad_1]
The government is expected to consider re-introducing some restrictions as of December 28 after warnings from public health experts that Covid-19 infections have started to rise sharply.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Thursday night that the anticipated period of relaxed restrictions, which begins Friday, would be shortened following warnings from the National Public Health Emergency Team and a meeting with medical director Dr. Tony Holohan.
Officials said the government would not make decisions until next week, but there was a growing expectation that restaurants and pubs serving food, which have been open since early December, will close again in the days after Christmas.
Rules on home visiting are also likely to be tightened, with visitors from just one other home, rather than three homes, being allowed starting Friday. It is understood that there is great concern among public health experts about possible infections on New Year’s Eve and that pubs and restaurants could be closed in the days leading up to that, with December 28 mentioned as a possible date.
The move comes after Nphet announced 484 new Covid-19 cases Thursday night and three other deaths.
The breeding number, a measure of how many people a case infects, now sits between 1.1 and 1.3, according to Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of Nphet’s epidemiological modeling advisory group.
January estimates
If this continues, there could be 700-1,200 cases per day by the second week of January, he said.
However, the level of hospitalizations remains relatively low. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 200 Covid-19 patients in the hospital, including 31 in the ICU. There were 30 additional hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.
But Dr. Holohan said the virus was spreading across the country, in all age groups.
“We are now receiving reports of major outbreaks in social settings, including work settings, Christmas parties and funerals. I can’t stress enough how important it is to limit your interactions now. The consequences of not doing so will be an exponential growth in January, a substantial increase in hospitalizations and risk to life ”.
Those who intend to visit older relatives next week should cut back on their contacts now, warned Professor Martin Cormican, the Health Services Executive’s national leader for infection control.
“If you are taking risks this weekend and visiting older relatives next week, you are putting their lives at risk,” he said.
Eye on Europe
“Just meet people on the inside that you trust your life,” he said. “When they arrive, welcome them with alcohol. This time it will be hand gel. ”
While the increase in cases was not unexpected after restrictions were lifted earlier this month, it is understood that warnings from public health experts have gotten harsher in recent days.
Ministers are also watching developments in Europe, where many countries are heading for another lockdown as infections rise. On Thursday, the Northern Ireland executive also announced that another lockdown would begin next week. Once the shops, bars and restaurants close for Christmas, they won’t reopen until February, the executive said.
Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill described the situation as “quite dire.”
The situation in the Northern health service continued to deteriorate. Paramedics from the Republic’s National Ambulance Service have been asked to assist their colleagues in Northern Ireland due to mounting pressures on service there.
Several teams are expected to work in Belfast and other northern cities as the high number of virus cases puts increasing pressure on hospitals.
Northern Ireland recorded another 12 Covid-related deaths and 656 positive cases on Thursday.
The Government will also consider a recommendation from Nphet that inter-county travel be restricted after Christmas and before New Year’s Eve, and that people be asked to stay in their county again to prevent further spread of Covid- 19 in light of the increase in new cases.
Under the existing plan to relax restrictions during the holiday period, people were allowed to travel between counties again beginning Friday, allowing people to travel to see family and loved ones over Christmas.
[ad_2]