Dublin surge but no lockdown... yet

HEALTH chiefs have said they are watching Dublin ‘closely’ after a spike in Covid cases there – but have ruled out a lockdown in the capital for now.

Another 147 cases of Covid-19 were recorded nationally yesterday. Around half were in Dublin and acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said there had been an increase in the capital over recent days.

He warned infections were spread across the city but there was no suggestion further measures were needed. ‘It is something we are watching closely,’ he said.

‘It is an opportunity for me to highlight in relation to Dublin that cases are increasing and that people should follow the public health advice if at all possible.’

A third of infections in the city involved community transmission. Some 34 of the 73 involved close contacts of others with the virus.

Dr Glynn added: ‘It is not an alarm, it is simply a note of caution for people to take care and take the basic measures we talk about every day.’

When asked if there was a danger Dublin could join Kildare in being under country specific lockdown, Dr Glynn replied: ‘That’s not the situation ... There’s no suggestion at the moment that any further measures are needed. We recommended a significant set of measures last week at NPHET (the National Public Health Emergency Team) and they were largely taken on board.

‘If people follow those recommendations and adhere to the public health advice in Dublin and across the country, I’d be hopeful that we’ll see the effect of that from next week.’

Dr Glynn also said that he doesn’t believe it is possible to eliminate Covid-19 nationally, saying ‘we will have to live with the threat of this virus over the coming months’.

In recent weeks, public health experts, who are part of the ‘Zero Covid Island Group,’ have been advocating for an elimination approach to dealing with the coronavirus in Ireland similar to the approach taken in other countries such as New Zealand.

Earlier, Taoiseach Michéal Martin said the government wouldn’t be pursuing a zero Covid strategy in their fight against the virus, saying the government’s focus was on protecting lives and livelihoods.

He told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne: ‘Covid is damaging the economy. Covid has damaged economies all over the world. It has caused the biggest drop in GDP globally ever since World War II. That is just a fact, we have to try and manage that.

‘I think we do have to live with the virus and I think we have to protect lives and livelihoods would be my approach to this.’ He added that strategies such as the localised restrictions implemented in Laois and Offaly have worked.

However, Professor of Public Health Systems at DCU, Anthony Staines, who advocates a zero Covid strategy, told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘We are quite confident that the measures we’ve proposed will work. There is substantial economic damage being done right now and this damage is likely to continue to get worse over the next year, because it will be a year at the best before we bring this virus under control,’ he said.

‘What lies ahead of us is a year of regular Covid outbreaks, hopefully no worse than what we are seeing but that is a hope not a guarantee. Regular disruption to business, to education and transport and no firm end-date because, while we hope there will be a vaccine in the middle of next year, no one can guarantee that.’

Prof Staines said it would not mean closing the economy for six months, though ‘you do have to close down the economy significantly but that is going to happen anyway as you suppress the virus’.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases now stands at 28,116.

No new deaths were reported in the past day, meaning the country’s death toll remains at 1,777.

Six new cases of Covid-19 were detected in meat processing plants in Kildare and Offaly.

Two of the cases were detected in an ABP Food Group processing facility in Clones, Co. Kildare. Last week, the firm reported nine cases in its plant in Cahir, Co. Tipperary.

The remaining four cases relate to a plant in Clara, Co. Offaly operated by Rosderra Irish Meats and were discovered on Friday.

‘We have to live with the virus’