Holohan warns mixing indoors could lead to a ‘dangerous surge’ in Covid-19 cases
We are not out of the woods yet.
That’s the message from Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan this morning, as he asked members of the public to prioritise their own safety as society begins to reopen later this month.
In an open letter published in newspapers today, Dr Holohan said that the easing of restrictions from May 10th offers ‘great hope’, especially for people who are vaccinated and are no longer forced to cocoon.
However, Dr Holohan warned that ignoring the guidance on social distancing and indoor visits could cause a surge in coronavirus cases that will stop the reopening plans in their tracks.
“Risk assess your choices and your environments – if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, feel empowered to walk away and come back another time. Encourage loved ones to feel similarly about prioritising their own safety.” said Dr Holohan.
“This is not a signal that the pandemic is over.
“We have all come a long way and things will improve further but there remains a risk that too much social mixing especially indoors, in houses and other settings will lead to a further surge of this disease.”
“It is important that we keep up compliance with the restrictions and the public health advice. The more we do so the more we can avoid a dangerous surge in cases, which would require us to slow down the progress of easing of measures that is planned for the coming weeks and months.
New cases
A further 402 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours, with one further death from the disease.
127 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 41 are in ICU and there have been six additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
