Irish people residing overseas shouldn’t plan to journey house for Christmas as a result of the threat of importing Covid-19, chief medical officer Dr. Tony Holohan has suggested.
Christmas visits house will likely be considered a non-essential journey and aren’t really useful, he mentioned.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar had earlier on Thursday suggested individuals intending to come back house from overseas for Christmas to not guide flights “for the time being” as a result of uncertainty from the pandemic.
Nevertheless, Dr. Holohan went additional, bluntly ruling out such a Christmas journey even on compassionate grounds.
“Travel that may usually occur at Christmas must be considered non-essential this Christmas,” he informed a briefing by the Nationwide Public Well being Emergency Workforce (Nphet) on Thursday night.
Expressing concern about excessive charges of the virus in most European nations, he mentioned the reimportation of instances by way of the overseas journey was one of the vital dangers the State confronted.
“Individuals probably coming again for the Christmas interval are experiencing a lot increased degree of infection. That will likely be one of the vital dangers for us if we make the progress we hope to make.”
‘Issues will likely be totally different’
He additionally warned that “issues are going to be totally different this Christmas” and it was “too early” for individuals to be planning for the festive season.
Massive-scale social occasions involving alcohol and different actions that may occur in a “regular” Christmas, similar to workplace events and enormous household get-togethers, “aren’t going to be doable”, he warned.
With case numbers dropping by half prior to now fortnight, the State has the quickest declining incidence of Covid-19 in Europe.
Midway by way of the present six-week interval of Stage 5 coronavirus restrictions, officers mentioned all indicators had been constructive however added that “we’re solely midway down the curve”.
The net will meet on November 26th to resolve what measures it should suggest to the Authorities to place in place from December when some restrictions are more likely to be eased.
One additional demise from Covid-19 and 395 new instances had been reported on Thursday night.
Hospital outbreaks
In the meantime, giant Covid-19 outbreaks in hospitals in Naas, Letterkenny, and Limerick have severely disrupted providers.
Some 161 hospital workers in Limerick, 77 in Naas, and 55 in Letterkenny are out of labor resulting from an infection or being contacts of constructive instances, forcing the closure of wards and the postponement of elective work.
Wellbeing bosses thought of closing Naas Normal Hospital, the place solely vital care providers are being supplied, however, determined to not due to the knock-on impact on different hospitals, it’s understood.
The outbreaks within the hospitals “haven’t fully stabilized”, Dr. Vida Hamilton, HSE hospitals group lead, mentioned, however, they had been being managed appropriately.
The Northern Government on Thursday agreed to a one-week extension of present Covid-19 restrictions, following days of bitter division amongst Ministers. Cafes, hairdressers, and wonder parlors will be capable of reopening within the North from November 20th.
Requested whether or not he would advise in opposition to cross-Border journey given the upper Covid-19 incidence in Northern Ireland and the deliberate easing of restrictions therefrom subsequent week, Dr. Holohan identified {that a} 5km journey restrict was in drive within the State “whether or not you’re near the Border or tons of of miles from it”.
He mentioned his colleagues within the North had been making “nice progress” in decreasing infections and he hoped the choice by the Northern Government would “underscore” this enhancement.
