Color-coded system for Ireland to identify the different phases of the Covid-19 outbreaks

The Public health experts have developed a new colour-coded system to identify various stages of Covid-19 outbreaks.

The new government strategy to deal with the virus will have four different phases of blue, yellow, orange and red.

The framework is being developed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).

A red status outbreak will drive the nation back into lockdown. While orange would mean local outbreaks in communities. In this case similar restrictions would be enforced which had been put on Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

Yellow is a moderate phase where we can live with the virus. And in this phase majority of businesses and schools would be open.

Status blue would mean that a vaccine or treatment has been identified. A stage where the government and health officials are trying to get Ireland into.

“The reason green is not included in there is because green almost says that everything is okay and things can go on as normal, which for now is not the case,” a source said.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said; “NPHET’s proposal essentially is a colour-coded system which we would all recognise and be familiar with from weather warnings.

“Blue is the colour of vacccines in the medical world. And the idea of blue is we wouldn’t be fully clear of this obviously until we have a vaccine and we can get back to our lives,” said Minster Donnelly in the morning while speaking about the new system.

After a Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting on Covid-19, Taoiseach Micheál Martin addressed the media about the current long-term policy of government to live with the Covid-19. The program aims at finding a way to keep society safe while dealing with rises in coronavirus cases.

“The Cabinet committee will meet again next week with a view to having an initial discussion on the medium-term plan to take us through Covid for the next six months to nine months,” the Taoiseach said.

“Like other countries, there’s been an increase in numbers so we’ve got to look and plan ahead in terms of potential scenarios that might emerge, but also how we maintain that level of economic activity,” he added.

In some EU countries, schools and pubs have reopened and Covid-19 outbreaks are contained and traced. Similar scheme will also be implemented in Ireland.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced yesterday that Auckland would be partially shut down after four new cases were discovered among members of one family.  

Ireland would not be seeking to follow the same example of New Zealand where authorities have enforced strict restrictions.  

Mr. Martin said Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe, and Minister of Public Expenditure Michael McGrath will draft supports for businesses impacted by the shutdown of the midlands.

The Taoiseach meanwhile said he was worried about the rise in midland cases and the overall increase in new cases across the country. But he said acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn believed that community transmission of the virus remained stable.