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The entire Irish cabinet has to isolate itself and the country’s parliament will close for a week after the Health Minister felt bad and was tested for coronavirus, it was reported.
Stephen Donnelly began to feel ill this afternoon and contacted his doctor for a test, according to broadcaster RTE.
The Speaker of the House told members on Tuesday: “The very serious information that comes from today’s events, the cabinet should isolate itself.”
Donnelly had previously held a press conference with the Irish Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
The trio revealed the country’s new five-tiered six-month plan for the live coronavirus, which offers a plan to reopen Ireland’s economy and social and cultural life.
It comes amid a surge in coronavirus infections, with Ireland’s health department announcing a four-month high of 357 new cases on Tuesday. 218 of those cases were in Dublin.
There have also been three more coronavirus-related deaths in the country, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team.
The entire country has been placed on level two, allowing up to six people from three households to meet at home and abroad.
However, Dublin faces additional restrictions due to a higher infection rate in the capital.
A total of 95 cases per 100,000 are currently registered in Dublin, 50% more than the next most affected county.
Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said: “The situation in our capital is worrying and has deteriorated in recent weeks.
“The level of the virus circulating in our city and county has multiplied by more than ten in the last two months. The positivity rate is around 3.5% against around 2% in the rest of the country.”
He added: “If this continues, it may not be possible to keep the virus out of our hospitals, nursing homes and factories, no matter how hard we try.”
“We will experience a second wave of hospitalizations, people needing to be admitted to the ICU and sadly more deaths.”
