The public is urged to be ‘careful’ as Covid-19 cases rise

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A prominent member of NPHET has said that the number of Covid-19 cases may increase in the coming days and that people should not be scared by that.

Professor Philip Nolan said that people must be “exceptionally careful” during the next few days and the Christmas period and “withdraw” from social activity now.

Professor Nolan said the numbers are an “early warning sign” telling us that we have been “doing too much and mixing too much” and called on people to have a safe little Christmas by reducing their contacts to a minimum for years to come. days and “rethink” your plans for the holiday period.

He said that people should not treat the current restrictions as a goal and use the flexibility given by the government in “a very limited way” and prioritize the most important things to do.

Professor Nolan said that NPHET has restarted a series of actions for the government to take “shortly after” Christmas to “regain control of the disease” and that action should be immediately after the Christmas period.

He called on people to think about the impact their behavior could have on the provision of health, education and childcare services, as he said there could be a threat to those services in January.

He said the current figures are very similar to those of late September and early October “and we know where that got us if we don’t act quickly.”

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Responding to claims from the hotel sector that there have been few recent cases linked to the industry, Professor Nolan said that “there has been transmission” and that cases are only linked to one sector if there is an outbreak there.

He said the increase in cases is “linked in time” to the reopening of the hotel sector and that indoor social settings is where the virus is spreading.

Professor Nolan said that the virus’s reproduction rate is likely to be revised upward in the coming days.

He said that the R rate is currently estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.3 and that there are very different results depending on where you are.

“The bottom line is that that kind of reproduction rate, so soon after the restricted release, gives us considerable concern that the virus is circulating at quite high rates in our society. That is nobody’s fault, but it is a Clear signal for us. It’s understandable that we went out and mixed and mixed in that period, but we really need to backtrack now. “

People are advised to cover their faces in shops and on busy streets.

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Christmas shoppers are advised to ‘stay safe’

People making last minute Christmas purchases have been urged to stay safe and follow Covid-19 rules.

An Taoiseach Department Deputy General Secretary Liz Canavan said buyers should be aware of staff and other buyers and should keep their distance.

He said many stores had extended their opening hours and urged people to shop outside of peak hours.

Ms. Canavan reminded people to cover their faces in stores and on busy streets.

At a government briefing, he also said that, as people plan for the next week, they need to make sure everyone feels comfortable being together.

He advised that Christmas gatherings should be small in number and short in duration.

Although restrictions are being relaxed today for the holiday period, he said, people have to keep the virus under control.

“From now on, every decision we make to meet someone could have consequences, either for ourselves or for those with whom we intend to celebrate Christmas,” he said.

The number of Covid-19 cases that have been seen in recent days shows “that we could be moving past the tipping point,” he added.

Ms Canavan said the easing of restrictions was taking place against a background of worsening the virus outlook and said “we have to respond to that.”

He added that the government would consider the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, “and there will be decisions and an announcement about what will happen after Christmas.”

The virus’s ‘R’ number is now between 1.1 and 1.3, which means that at least one other person will be infected with someone with Covid-19.

Ms Canavan urged people to stay the course and adhere to public health measures, given what is happening in Europe and Northern Ireland.

“We have worked very hard to get to this point. To say that we are all tired of restrictions is an understatement. But we have seen what is happening with the virus in Europe, and even on this northern island.”

“Your hard work has meant so far that we have largely kept the virus in check, but we want to make sure it stays that way. The numbers we are seeing now indicate that we could be getting past the tipping point. We have to respond to that, as we have done previously. “

Starting today, inter-county travel is allowed through January 6 and three households are allowed to meet.

However, the Government is likely to consider advancing the tightening of Covid-19 restrictions to December 28, 29 or 30 due to the recent increase in the number of cases.

Canavan said statistics show that traffic volumes increased 3% this week, compared to last week, and in particular, traffic volumes around shopping centers increased 2%.

She said this was expected in the run-up to Christmas.

Social Welfare and Christmas Covid Payments

Regarding weekly welfare payments, he said that people will receive their payment as usual next week starting Monday, December 21, but will also receive an advance payment for the following week.

He said that the Pandemic Unemployment Payment would be made next Tuesday, December 22, and this will include the payment due on December 29. Normal weekly payment arrangements will resume the week beginning January 4.

He said that until last Tuesday, December 15, approximately 306,000 people received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, which is 42,000 less than last week’s figures.

Many of these people have returned to closed work sectors during the Level 5 restrictions, he said.

There are currently 41,000 employers registered in the Income system for the Employment Wage Subsidy Plan. To date, a total of more than € 1 billion in grants have been paid to 39,500 employers.

Today, 15,700 companies have registered 18,100 locations for Covid’s restriction support scheme with Revenue, he said.

Ms Canavan said that the value of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) claims filed today exceeds 115 million euros with respect to 15,600 locations and 114 million of these have already been processed for income for payment.



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