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Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called on adults to limit their social contacts to ensure that schools can remain open and people continue to work.
He said the new long-term plan to live alongside Covid-19, which will be launched on Monday, will make it clear at what stage local restrictions will apply if necessary.
“I ask people to limit their social contacts, especially adults. We want schools to stay open and we want people to keep working, ”he said.
Martin said the government wanted to make sure there was a clear and consistent approach to dealing with Covid-19.
“I think people are tired and fatigued with this virus,” he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.
Next week’s plan will provide a framework, with “simple messages” on the different levels to apply in case of spikes in the numbers. “We are moving into a second phase.”
Mr. Martin said he knew it had been difficult and challenging for people and asked the public to be resilient. He expressed concern about rising Covid-19 numbers, but said the government had “learned lessons from the past” and hoped Ireland would not see a return of major outbreaks in nursing homes.
The Taoiseach defended the test and trace system, saying the state had one of the highest levels of testing in Europe. Locations like meat plants, direct supply centers and nursing homes remain key, he said.
“We want to protect lives and livelihoods.”
Mr. Martin said the government has “broad confidence” in the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team and will listen to any guidance they have.
But the bottom line was that personal behavior mattered and people needed to reduce their contacts, he said.
Regarding the opening of pubs, Mr. Martin said that in counties where there were low virus levels there was a case to reopen. But he added that the decision on the opening of the pub always had the caveat about local figures.
Meanwhile, the number of notifications from close contacts identified on the smartphone app for Covid-19 has almost tripled in the last month, in line with an increase in diagnosed cases.
Disturbing trend
As of Wednesday night, 953 people have been identified as close contacts of those with confirmed diagnoses. This compares with a figure of 370 last month.
The figure is likely to be closer to 1,300, as a quarter of the 1.84 million people who have downloaded the app have chosen not to share their information.
The number of people using the app who have uploaded their Covid-19 positive status has also risen to 580.
These figures are consistent with the substantial increase in the diagnosis of Covid-19 during the last six weeks, according to the executive director of information of the Health Service, Fran Thomson.
“There is a correlation between the number of positive cases and the number of close contacts as the numbers increase daily. There are also peaks and valleys, depending on the day, ”said Mr. Thomson.
The digital application will identify a person as a close contact if they have been within 2 m of a confirmed case for a period of no less than 15 minutes.
The application, which uses geolocation technology, works as a complement to contact trackers that obtain a list of the person with a confirmed case of coronavirus from those with whom they have been in close contact.
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