DUBLIN: The government has warned that household visiting restrictions may remain in place as the Covid outbreak continues unabated.
Restrictions on household visits will persist for months, even though Covid cases are declining.
Currently, more than six people from more than three homes of homes are not allowed to visit a home.
In Dublin, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET)’s new proposal is to reduce this to six people from two homes.
A total of 159 new cases were reported in the country yesterday. This includes 70 men and 89 women. At the same time, HSE revealed that 65% of new Covid cases are under 45 years of age.
To manage the pandemic, limits on household visits may be imposed even at the most beneficial stage of the government’s five-level defence plan.
The move follows concerns from public health experts that home gatherings could spread the virus. At the same time, the exact extent of the restrictions at each level of the project has not yet been determined.
The cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning is expected to approve it. Accordingly, it is hoped that more people will be allowed in outdoor gatherings and sports.
The NPHET suggests that restrictions should be relaxed only in proportion to the extent of Covid spread.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has confirmed that it has hired a communications firm Teneo to launch the new roadmap as part of its idea of living with Covid.
The health ministry said in a statement that Teneo’s services were deployed to ensure support for the All of Government Roadmap, which is being launched as part of its efforts to tackle the Covid pandemic in Ireland. The report says that this is a short-term contract.
The government will announce on Tuesday its plan to live with Covid in the wake of the Covid pandemic outbreak.
Speaking at an event presented by RTE, Prime Minister Micheál Martin has said the government will not hesitate to impose additional restrictions if necessary in cities, including Dublin, to control rising Covid cases.
He added that the government has learned a lot from the local restrictions imposed in places like Kildare, Port Laoise and Offaly.
He said the key issue for Dublin is how to reduce the number of Covid cases by suppressing the virus.
He added that the Living with Covid project would be implemented on a national basis after analysing the situation in each county.