Coronavirus: Dept. Of Health Announce 34 Further Deaths From Covid-19

Latest news on Friday 1st May.

Announcement:

Covid 19 restrictions will be extended for another 2 weeks with few changes.  

From May 5th the travel limit will increase from 2 to 5 kilometres and older people who are cocooning will be allowed to leave their homes for exercise. 

The measures were agreed by cabinet earlier, follow recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says Ireland will begin to reopen from the 18th of May.  

The Taoiseach said the lifting of restrictions would be done on a phased basis:

Latest Figures:

The number of cases in the Midlands is now 995. 

Westmeath has 487, up three from yesterday. 

Offaly has 284 patients, an increase of two and the number of cases in Laois now stands at 224, a jump of six. 

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that a total of 34 people with COVID-19 have died.

There have now been a total of 1,265* COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of 11am Friday 1 May, the HPSC has been notified of 221 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 20,833 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Wednesday 29 April (20,510 cases), reveals:

· 58% are female and 42% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
· 2,768 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 367 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 5,840 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 10,170 (50% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,215 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,154 cases (6%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 63%, close contact accounts for 33%, travel abroad accounts for 3%

Address:

Cabinet Ministers have been meeting to consider possible easing of the Coronavirus restrictions.

The Taoiseach is due to make an address at 6.30 this evening to announce the details.

Cabinet Ministers have been meeting since just after three o'clock to approve the next steps of the lockdown having been given advice this morning from the National Public Health Emergency Team.

We're likely to see a two week extension of the current restrictions from May 5th.

The government is considering increasing the distance in which people can exercise from 2 to 5 kilometres.

There's also likely to be a slight easing for people who are cocooning, who will be allowed to leave their homes.

Measures in relation to childcare in the home for healthcare workers are also expected to be announced.

While little will change for the majority of people over the next two weeks, the government will outline a roadmap for the gradual lifting of restrictions over the coming weeks and months.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to make an announcement at around 6.30 once the cabinet meeting is finished.

Meat:

The Irish Farmers Association says the presence of Covid 19 clusters in an number of meat processing plants is concerning.

Rosderra Meats in Co. Tipperary says staff that have the virus are self-isolating, and all other staff have been tested.

Yesterday, Dawn Meats shut its plant in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, after four cases among its staff were confirmed.

IFA president Tim Cullinan says it's important during the pandemic that a good supply of food is coming through.

Leaving Cert:

Further discussions will be held next week on the practicalities of holding the Leaving Certificate Examinations later this year.

They are due to take place on July 29th.

A stakeholders meeting took place today to discuss how the exams could take place, given the constraints of social distancing and other requirements.

The Department of Education says the group will meet again on Wednesday.

Privacy:

As thousands of workers continue to work remotely, they are being reminded to take steps to protect data and privacy.

A CSO survey shows over two thirds of firms have implemented measures to facilitate home working.

Staff should ensure they have the latest updates for their device and the anti-virus software installed.

Deputy Commissioner at the Data Protection Commission, Graham Doyle says workers need to take care who can see the work being carried out remotely:

Flu Vaccine:

There's a call for everyone to be given the flu vaccine for free.

The Irish Pharmacy Union says it should be made available to everyone from six months old this autumn free of charge.

It says the flu season which just ended led to the hospitalisation of 4,000 people in Ireland.

The IPU says it is vital that planning starts now to minimise the number of people who get sick later in the year.

Meeting:

The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting around now, to decide what advice it'll give the government on lifting Covid-19 restrictions.

It's widely expected no significant changes to the current measures, due to end on Tuesday, will be recommended.

The Cabinet will this afternoon discuss a 'roadmap' for gradually reopening the country over the next few weeks and months. 

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan, who is chairing this morning's meeting, doesn't think we're in a position to ease measures:

Masks:

There are new calls today for gardai to wear masks when dealing with the public. 

The Garda Ombudsman has received up to 25 complaints about officers not observing social-distancing, or wearing gloves or masks. 

They are among over 70 complaints the public has made about the gardai's enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions.

Sinn Féin's justice spokesman, Martin Kenny, says masks should be compulsory for gardaí:

Ryanair Cutting Up To 3,000 Jobs https://t.co/eWECo9DutE

— Midlands103 (@Midlands103) May 1, 2020

Lockdown:

The National Public Health Emergency Team is expected to recommend extending the current lockdown for a further two weeks today. 

The government will this evening publish a roadmap detailing how restrictions will eventually be phased out.

The plan is set to start in mid-May and will outline how business can reopen and when people can expect to see their loved ones. 

Professor in Infectious Diseases at the Mater, Jack Lambert, says the issue of community transmission has not been properly tackled:

Strategy:

The head of the Covid-19 modelling advisory group says it will take a long time to tell which strategy used in different countries mitigated the spread of Covid-19 the best. 

However, Professor Philip Nolan says the measures introduced at the end of March did the job that was intended for Ireland:

Midlands Meat Factory Closes After Multiple Covid-19 Cases Confirmed https://t.co/aZqaRjnffl

— Midlands103 (@Midlands103) May 1, 2020

Government announcement later:

The government will publish a roadmap for the phasing out of coronavirus restrictions this evening. 

But it's expected the current lockdown will be extended for a further two weeks with little change for the majority of people.

This morning the National Public Health Emergency Team meets to approve the medical advice that the current restrictions should continue, and consider whether any of the measures can be eased.

Tony Holohan's recommendations will then be considered by the cabinet at a meeting at 3 o'clock - before an announcement from the Taoiseach this evening. 

It's expected for the vast majority of people there will be no change to the measures in place. 

However, there is political pressure on to allow older people who are cocooning to get some outdoor exercise, to re-open DIY stores and to possibly allow people to exercise further than 2km from their homes. 

There's also likely to be approval of childcare in the home for healthcare workers.

The Taoiseach will also announce a three phase roadmap for the eventual easing of the lockdown.

This is expected to start in mid-May and will set out how the government hopes businesses and schools can re-open over the next few months, how the economy can be brought out of sleep, and when people can expect to be able to see loved ones outside their household.

Latest figures:

The Taoiseach will announce later whether any Covid-19 restrictions can be lifted from next Tuesday.

The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning, and will issue advice to the government, which will then be discussed by Cabinet. 

The death toll from the virus has risen to 1,232, after a further 43 people lost their lives, while the number of confirmed cases stands at 20,612.

There are now 974 confirmed cases in the midlands - Westmeath has 474, 282 in Offaly, and 218 in Laois.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, who's already indicated he's against easing restrictions, says intensive care admissions are still too high: