There has been a total of 89 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
53 of today’s cases are in Dublin, 15 in Limerick, and the remaining 21 cases are Clare, Cork, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
There have been 1,577 cases reported in the last 14 days. Of these, 717 are in Dublin, 182 in Kildare, 109 in Limerick, 106 in Tipperary and 47 in Wexford. The remaining 416 are spread in 21 counties.
There is now a total of 29,114 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
While has been one new Coronavirus death reported today – but that is from June. It is more than two weeks since somebody died in Ireland.
But due to one denitrification, the death toll remains at 1,777.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “Every single contribution and effort you make counts to the national push to curb the effects of this infectious virus on our society.
“Every time you take responsibility to keep your social contacts low, avoid a crowded place or get-together, know that you are making a vital difference. It is individual action built upon individual action that will get us through this pandemic.
“The effort to suppress COVID-19 begins in our own homes. Many confirmed cases in the past weeks and months have been close contacts of confirmed cases.
“It is in our own household through regular handwashing, cough and sneeze hygiene, cleaning surfaces, limiting the number of visitors and isolating as soon as we experience any concerning symptoms that we can make the biggest impact.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said; “A close analysis of case numbers and patterns over the last week suggests that the epidemic is growing very slowly in many counties across Ireland, including Dublin.
“A large number of cases are associated with outbreaks in private houses and families. The R number is just above 1, perhaps as high as 1.2, so the virus is circulating in the community at levels we don’t want to see.
“This means we need to remain focused on our shared national priorities, which are the safe reopening of schools, continuing to resume non-COVID healthcare and protecting the most vulnerable to this dangerous disease.”
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said; “The opening of schools is an important milestone in our management of this pandemic.
“Evolving knowledge from elsewhere provides some assurance to parents of children who are returning to school regarding the behaviour of this virus among children and the risks of transmission between children.
“We appreciate the hard work of teachers, parents, guardians, principals and school staff in getting us to this much anticipated milestone.
“What we can do to help this effort is play our own part as individuals – physically distance from others at all times, avoid congregated settings, and wear a face covering where appropriate.
“The ongoing resumption of healthcare services is also down to our individual actions in the community.
“To protect our healthcare staff and patients, we need everyone to keep their social contacts low and remember to physically distance when meeting those from other households. We all need to make these safe behaviours a part of our daily routines.”
Reopening all pubs
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that new legislation giving further powers to the gardaí will pave the way for the reopening of pubs that do not serve food.
The new powers, to be debated in the Dáil on its return today, will provide a road map for the future opening of all pubs, Ms McEntee said, as they will give greater guidance to gardaí and ensure compliance of measures.
Such measures include social distancing, the wearing of visors, table service and ensuring there was a lead person in a group for contact tracing.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show, the Minister said the new legislation would allow so called “wet pubs” to prepare and plan for a future reopening.
The Government is looking at how to reopen all pubs safely and will put in place a new road map on September 13th to guide people, she said. It will tell them what is required of them and what is expected.
Everyone should be aware of the risk factors for getting COVID-19:
- Distance – the risk of getting COVID-19 increases as the distance between you and others gets smaller. Keep 2 metres apart where possible
- Activity – How you spend time with people and what you do with them can increase your risk. Follow the government’s Stay Safe Guidelines when spending time with others
- Time – The more time you spend in close contact with other people can increase your risk of getting COVID-19. Keep track of who you spend time with and how
- Environment – Being outdoors is safer than being indoors. Where possible, meet with others outdoors. If this is not possible, keep windows and doors open when meeting others inside
- Symptoms – Know the symptoms. If you have them self-isolate and contact your GP immediately
Public Health Advice for all citizens available here:
Know the symptoms of COVID-19
- a fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above)
- a cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
- shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- flu like symptoms
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