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Two wards of a hospital, including a psychiatric unit, in Co Kildare are dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak.
Health officials say an outbreak control team is addressing the cases in two wards at Naas General Hospital, and the Lakeview Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, based on the hospital grounds.
An HSE spokeswoman said the outbreaks in the acute care hospital are separate from the outbreak in the psychiatric ward.
Staff and patients have been screened for Covid-19 as part of the contact tracing system.
All personnel identified as close contacts of the Covid-19 cases have been asked to isolate themselves.
(Image: Brian Lawless / PA Wire)
It is called an outbreak in a healthcare setting when there are a minimum of two positive contacts.
An HSE spokeswoman said: “Plans have been developed to support continuity of services and guide senior management to identify the level of impact on service and staff.
“Protection of public health is of the utmost importance and every effort is made to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19.
“The HSE cannot comment on individual cases or outbreaks as doing so would violate our duty of confidentiality to interested individuals and organizations.
“Maintaining confidentiality is not just an ethical requirement for the HSE, it is also a legal requirement as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) along with the Data Protection Laws 1988-2018.”
Meanwhile, people hosting house parties in breach of Covid-19 regulations could face fines of up to 2,500 euros after the new legislation takes effect this weekend.
The legislation, passed by the Dail on Friday evening, empowers the gardai to impose fines on people who breach lockdown regulations.
The public faces fines of up to € 500 for violating the 5km travel limit introduced as part of the lockdown measures.
Those who organize parties or gatherings at home could be fined up to 1,000 euros in the first instance.
Second and third place offenders can face prison terms and fines of up to 2,500 euros.
Legislation supporting the use of fines for violations of the restrictions passed at Dail and Seanad on Friday.
The law regarding house parties takes effect this weekend, but notices of flat fines will be introduced next week.
There will be more than 2,500 uniformed gardai on duty each day during the six-week shutdown unveiled Thursday.
The fines were introduced in an attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19 among households.
Statistics released by Ireland’s Central Statistical Office (CSO) on Friday show that outbreaks in private homes account for 54% of outbreak-related cases in the past four weeks.
The country’s incident rate exceeded 300 per 100,000 population for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, activists have held a protest against the introduction of level five public health restrictions aimed at combating the spread of Covid-19.
They gathered outside the GPO on O’Connell Street, where several speakers addressed a crowd of around 100 people.
Some of the protesters carried banners and posters opposing the closure, while others waved Irish flags.
It comes two days after 11 people were arrested for alleged public order offenses when Gardai intervened in protests against Thursday’s lockdown in Dublin.
On Friday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris expressed reservations about the use of fines to enforce Covid-19 restrictions.
Harris declined to say he supports the sanctions.
“I’ll do what they tell me,” he said.
He said that enforcement measures would only be used as a “last resort”.
When asked if he supported the measures, he replied: “The good thing is that the legislation supports this. I am a public servant, a good and faithful servant at that, and I will do what they tell me.
“We have fines, but they are set in a sphere of enforcement. We have to discern what our policy and practice is regarding that enforcement.
“But we’ve already established that. Enforcement is our last resort. Therefore, the use of the flat-fee penalty notice, or a report to the DPP, is a last resort for us in all cases.”
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