Level 5 restrictions 'may not be enough to curb spread of Covid-19'

The chief medical officer Dr. Tony Holohan and NPHET have warned that the additional Level 5 measures coming into force today may not be sufficient in curbing the spread of the virus.

In a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly ahead of yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Dr. Holohan outlined: "Additional measures may be required if there is a continued deterioration over the coming period.

"NPHET will continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming days.

"NPHET has reiterated its concerns in relation to the pressure being experienced across all aspects of the health service.

"In particular, the level of demand across the full testing and contact tracing pathway, including general practice, swabbing, laboratory testing, contact tracing and case and outbreak management by public health departments, is likely to be unsustainable in the short term.

"The level of disease has now exceeded containment and, as such, we are now in a mitigation phase.

"NPHET emphasised that the role of testing changes considerably when disease transmission is at the level currently being experienced – and can no longer be expected to control the disease.

"Everyone needs to behave as if they are close contacts and to restrict their movements by staying at home, except for essential purposes.

"It is only through the collective actions of everyone that we can hope to interrupt chains of transmission, prevent further spread, reduce the intensity of the epidemic and to slow down the increase in cases."

At the HSE press conference today, it was revealed that Covid hospitalisations are destined to rise further over the coming weeks.