85 cases in a single day puts pub reopening plans in doubt
‘We must remain vigilant’
A SHOCK surge in new Covid cases has cast doubt over whether pubs will reopen in ten days’ time.
Health chiefs reported that 85 new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed yesterday in Ireland – a worrying escalation and the highest number of new cases in a single day since May 22.
There will now be no decision on moving to phase four in the roadmap for reopening the country’s economy until the current situation plays out.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said officials are ‘very concerned’, adding that the next 24 and 48 hours will be crucial in determining their advice to the Government.
Dr Glynn admitted the surge in numbers came as a surprise, and warned the public to remain vigilant and to keep following public health advice.
‘We are now at a crucial point in our response to Covid-19,’ he said.
‘Over the coming days it is vital that everyone continues to avoid large crowds, physically distance, wear face coverings, where appropriate, and wash hands regularly.
‘Public health officials need to watch this extremely closely in particular over the next two days.’
The acting CMO also said he was ‘nervous’ about the escalation of new cases ahead of the forthcoming bank holiday weekend.
‘Now is not the time for a kneejerk reaction. Next week is very far away at this point, we will be monitoring this on the hours,’ he said.
‘Today may be a blip associated with a number of specific clusters, or it may be a sign of something more significant. ‘As we go into a bank holiday weekend, it’s really important that people remember the basic messages.’
At least 18 of the 85 cases reported yesterday were associated with a cluster at a factory in Kildare. A number of workers at the factory resided in at least two Direct Provision centres in the midlands, and outbreak control teams are working with them.
Dr Glynn said 68% of those diagnosed were aged under 45.
‘I hope this is a blip, I hope we see a much smaller number of cases tomorrow,’ he said.
There are currently five confirmed cases in hospital, four of which are in critical care.
Six counties in Ireland have reported a significant Covid-19 outbreak. The Department of Health revealed 26 cases came from Kildare, 18 from Dublin, 11 from Clare, nine in Laois, seven in Limerick and four in Meath.
Dr Glynn said: ‘Today’s figures demonstrate how quickly Covid-19 can re-emerge in our country.’
Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the National Public Health
Emergency Team (NPHET) Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, pointed to the fragility of the current situation, saying Ireland’s stability had been disrupted in just two days.
‘Over a two-day period Ireland moved from a relatively stable epidemiology to a significant pattern connected to outbreaks,’ he said.
‘We now need to be really careful and adhere to public health advice so we do not further spread the virus. We must remain vigilant to the disease if we are to control it at this point. We’re now managing a significant number of connected outbreaks, leading to a large number of cases reported; it remains to be seen over the coming days how that will settle.’
The total number of cases in Ireland now stands at 26,027. There was one confirmed death yesterday, taking the total to 1,763.
Dr Glynn also acknowledged the impact the pandemic has had on workers and businesses, but stressed the reopening of schools and residential centres had to be part of the wider considerations.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said there are no guarantees pubs will reopen on August 10. Lobby groups have called on the Government to release guidelines that will allow them to reopen safely, after the previous reopening date was delayed due to an increase in coronavirus cases earlier this month.
Mr Varadkar told the Dáil yesterday he could not guarantee the Cabinet will allow pubs to reopen on that date as it will depend on advice from the NPHET.
He said: ‘I would like to see pubs and bars open as well on August 10. If it’s possible for them to do so within the public health guidelines, and I hope we’ll be able to make that decision in the affirmative next Tuesday, allowing them to open on August 10, but I can’t guarantee that at this stage.’
The Tánaiste continued: ‘I totally agree that pubs offer a huge amount of employment around the country, and also are really important to our social fabric, not just in rural areas, but in urban areas too.’
Mr Varadkar said that while he hopes the NPHET’s advice will be to allow pubs reopen, the decision will ultimately depend on the number of cases of Covid-19 in the country at the time.
‘I hope it’s a positive decision, but I can’t make that commitment right now,’ he cautioned.
Hospitality group Fáilte Ireland is expected to publish reopening guidelines for pubs across the country in the coming days.