“The virus is still out there, we are not immune.”

Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn has said he is “very concerned” about the implications of mass gatherings outside pubs across the country over the weekend.

Speaking at a Department of Health briefing last night, Dr Glynn pleaded with the public to avoid environments “where they put themselves or others at risk”, a danger that was also highlighted by Minister for Higher Education, Innovation & Science Simon Harris on Sunday.

“If gatherings like that continue, then it is inevitable that we will run into problems. The virus is still out there, we are not immune – very few of us have had this.” he said.

“If we go back to what was our normal pre-Covid we will run into trouble again.”

C’mon everyone. We’ve come too far to go back. Great to see our economy reopened & social life resuming but let’s keep using our cop on & common sense. We owe it to each other, to those families who have lost loved ones, to the local business we want to keep open & to our kids https://t.co/zcoeWkETUg

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) July 5, 2020

No deaths for the second day in a row

Last night the Department of Health confirmed that no further coronavirus deaths had been reported for the second day in a row. Four additional cases of Covid-19 were reported in the past 24 hours.

“We are at a crossroads and have choices to make. If we make the right choices we can hope to keep this disease under control,” added Dr Glynn.

This morning the HSE unveiled a new Covid-19 tracker app to help identify the close contacts of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and ensure they self-isolate and look out for symptoms.

The COVID Tracker app is now available to download. It will help in the fight against coronavirus. Download the COVID Tracker app here: https://t.co/CUrWQ9QVvj

We’ll protect your privacy, and you’ll help us protect everyone. Stay safe. Protect each other. #COVID19 #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/WVRFOUwAT7

— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) July 7, 2020

“If we make the wrong choices and do not keep following the basics of public health advice we will end up back where we were weeks and months ago and none of us want to be back there,” said Dr Glynn.

Meanwhile, new research from the Department of Health reveals that three-quarters of people in Ireland believe that we will be hit with a second wave of Coronavirus cases in the coming months.