390 new Covid-19 cases as Cork braces for Level Three restrictions
The decision will be made on Thursday.
But exactly six months after the first lockdown began, it looks likely that Cork will be moved from Level Two to Level Three of the government’s Covid-19 risk rating following a worrying spike in coronavirus cases.
A total of 390 new Covid-19 cases were reported nationally this evening, with no further deaths from the disease. 122 people with confirmed cases are currently in hospital, with 16 in critical care units.
21 of the new cases were recorded in Cork, with 209 in Dublin, 22 in Donegal and 21 in Galway.
As of midnight Sunday, 27 September, the HPSC @hpscireland has been notified of 390 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
There is now a total of 35,377 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Ireland.
— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) September 28, 2020
Tighter restrictions are set to be discussed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) when they meet on Thursday.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that Cork is one of four counties currently being monitored for snowballing coronavirus infections as experts grow more uneasy about hospital capacity.
Louth, Galway and Wicklow are also facing a move to Level Three, which would see pubs and restaurants allowed to serve food and drinks in outdoor settings only and visitors banned from nursing homes.
“We have absolutely no room for complacency.” said acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.
“If every person, family, workplace and organisation does not play their part the situation will continue to deteriorate.”
Anger over boozy street sing song
As the stats show that a quarter of the new cases recorded in the past fortnight were in patients aged between 15 and 24, concerns were raised online this morning after a video showing a group of young people singing and dancing on Oliver Plunkett was shared on Twitter.
The clip, shared by journalist Brian O’Connell on the Today With Claire Byrne show, showed an impromptu sing-song after closing time outside Minihan’s Chemist near the GPO.
Some more of the street scenes from the weekend in Cork city centre. pic.twitter.com/pvT1rHqxpJ
— Brian O’Connell (@oconnellbrian) September 28, 2020
Revellers were clearly ignoring social distancing advice and singing loudly, which has been shown to push more respiratory droplets into the air, increasing the risk of transmitting Covid-19.
