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The Irish government has ignored scientific advice for a new national blockade and instead raised the country one notch on its alert scale.
On Sunday, the country’s National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET) recommended that all 26 counties in Ireland be raised to Level 5 restrictions for the next four weeks, bringing them back to full lockdown.
The suggestion followed an increase in coronavirus infections on averages of five days, one week and 14 days, which affected all areas of the country and in all age groups.
However, it is believed to have caught ministers by surprise at a time when most of the country was only under Level 2 restrictions.
After two days of high-level meetings, the government decided to ignore the advice and instead move the country to Level 3 for three weeks, warning that another nationwide lockdown would have a devastating impact on the economy on employment.
The new restrictions mean that indoor gatherings will be banned, and visitors to homes will only be allowed from another home. Restaurants and pubs can remain open but with greater restrictions.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: “Businesses are beginning to recover and vital public health services are still behind schedule.”
Ireland’s government has ignored scientific advice for a new national lockdown, instead raising the country one level on its alert scale. In the photo: Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during a speech to his country on Monday in which he announced the change.
‘The severe restrictions would now have a very damaging impact, from which those services and businesses may not be able to recover.
That said, the Government has decided to increase the level of controls in most parts of the country and redouble its efforts to ensure compliance with the guidelines.
“As part of this, we have decided at this stage not to move to a more complete lockdown.
‘It is important to understand that the possible implications of such a move are serious and very different from what we faced earlier this year.
“It could mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs with these concentrates in families and communities, which are already experiencing difficulties.”
Another 518 new cases of the virus were confirmed on Monday, up from 364 announced on Sunday. There were no new deaths associated with the virus.
Martin added that there will be an increase in the level of public orientation in the coming days and accused some people of adopting a “lax” attitude.
CASES: How the number of confirmed cases has changed each day in Ireland since the start of the pandemic
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“(The virus) has challenged us to the core,” he added.
“This is not about public health and business competing with each other, it is about protecting lives and livelihoods.
“If we all act now, we will stop having the need to go further and I have no doubt that we can and will overcome this.
‘We will come to a time when we can go through our lives without worrying about contracting this virus.
“What happens next is in our hands.”
Mr. Martin defended the government’s decision not to follow the advice of NPHET.
Speaking at government buildings in Dublin, Mr. Martin said: ‘We have had detailed discussions since we received the recommendation from NPHET to go straight to a level five lockdown.
Martin defended the government’s decision not to follow the advice to enter a total blockade
“A central aspect of our discussions has been to analyze the broader implications of immediately moving to level five rather than realizing the full potential impact of lower level restrictions.
“It is important to understand that we are in a very different situation from last March.
Over the weekend, more than 1,000 new cases were reported, while the 14-day total of hospital admissions also increased from 136 on Friday night to 154 on Saturday.
However, the proposal to revert to a total lockdown was understood to have shocked ministers, as most of the country was under Level 2 restrictions, with no areas above Level 3.
Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Tony Holohan (pictured) chaired a meeting as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise.
At Level 2, indoor gatherings are allowed with a ‘rule of six’, while restaurants and pubs can open with the same restrictions.
However, if the country jumped to level 5, all gatherings would be banned except weddings and funerals, and people would be told to stay inside except for exercise.
Pubs and restaurants would be closed except for takeout, while all sporting events would also be canceled, effectively meaning another national shutdown.
More than 600 new cases of the virus were confirmed on Saturday, the highest daily figure in more than five months.
The head of health protection at the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency warned that locking a circuit breaker there was “almost inevitable” if Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
Dr. Gerry Waldron described the increasing infection rate in the region as worrisome.
Previously, the Green Party leader said there had been no discussion in the Irish government about a national shutdown, but instead wanted to work county by county.
Eamon Ryan (pictured) said he believed the rest of the country could avoid being placed in level three restrictions if the public adheres to the government’s measures.
Instead, he believed Dublin and Donegal could avoid going to level four restrictions if people follow Covid-19 public health guidelines.
Eamon Ryan also said that he believed the rest of the country could avoid being placed under level three restrictions if the public adheres to the government’s measures.
“What we are looking to do here is not eradicate the virus, I don’t think it is a viable option, but stabilize it,” he told RTE’s The Week in Politics.
“ I think there is a real concern when you look at other counties, it is increasing very fast. We need to keep things simple, reduce the number of people we meet, avoid social contact.
“If we all do that we can avoid going to level four, other counties can avoid going to level three and hopefully Dublin can go back to level two, and Donegal too.”
He added that he believed it was possible that the infection rate could stabilize, but admitted that everyone was ‘scared’ as the daily numbers continue to rise.
Ryan also said that if counties went to level four restrictions, schools would remain open.
“I think that whatever happens, I think the government is committed, which is important,” he said.
He added: “The international evidence is that it can be done safely and I think our schools have done a good job in terms of making it safe for our students.”
Acting Medical Director Dr Ronan Glynn said on Friday that the figures reported over the past week represent a significant escalation in the profile of Covid-19 in Ireland.
People of all ages, particularly those over 70 and medically vulnerable, were advised to limit their social contacts to a small core group for short periods of time, while remaining socially distant.
