Digital Desk Staff
The Government will look at "minimum additional restrictions" to keep COVID-19 levels down after Ireland leaves Level 5, according to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.
Speaking in front of the Oireachtas health committee yesterday, Mr Donnelly said this could only happen if "we all follow the basics" of infection control.
He attributed the rising levels of Covid-19 in recent months to “congregation and alcohol” at house parties and "sports celebrations".
Transgressions
Mr Donnelly added that coronavirus takes advantage of "very small transgressions".
“A lot of the time it was people who had followed it to the letter for seven months and then said ‘For the love of God, I just need to let loose this once’ and who then let go for one night."
The committee was told that the reproductive number has fallen below one for the first time in four months, it is now between 0.7 and 0.9.
Public health figures believe the 'R' number needs to be down to 0.5 by next month to reduce daily Covid-19 figures to double digits.
A further eight deaths and 444 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the Republic yesterday.
Of yesterday's cases, 158 were located in Dublin, 48 in Cork, 36 in Galway, 28 in Limerick and 174 cases spread across 19 other counties.
The median age of those diagnosed is 37 years old, while 61 per cent are under 45 years of age.
New hospitals
Mr Donnelly also told the committee that three new hospitals in Cork, Galway, and Dublin will be completed by the end of the year.
Mr Donnelly told members that a “spatial brief” and costings document was being developed under the guidance of Prof Frank Keane, chairman of the Elective Hospitals Oversight Group, which was set up last year and is carrying out a catchment area analysis for the new facilities.
