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Dublin and Donegal can avoid moving to level 4 restrictions if people follow Covid-19 public health guidelines, the leader of the Green Party has said.<\/p>\nDublin and Donegal can avoid moving to level 4 restrictions if people follow Covid-19 public health guidelines, the leader of the Green Party has said.<\/p>\n
Eamon Ryan also said he believed the rest of the country could avoid being placed in level 3 restrictions if the public adhered to the Government\u2019s measures.<\/p>\n
The Climate Change Minister said there had been no discussion in Government about a nationwide lockdown, rather it wanted to work on a county-by-county basis.<\/p>\n
His comments came as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 continued to rise.<\/p>\n
As of 8am on Saturday 134 people with Covid-19 were in hospital, up from 114 on Friday.<\/p>\n
A total of 613 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Friday, the highest daily figure in more than five months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeking to do here is not to eradicate the virus, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to be a viable option, but to stabilize it,\u201d he told RTE\u2019s The Week in Politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there is real concern when you look at other counties \u2013 it is rising very fast. We need to do the simple things, reduce the number of people we meet, avoid social contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we all do that we can avoid going to level 4, other counties can avoid going to level 3 and I hope that Dublin can get back to level 2 and Donegal too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he believed it was possible that the infection rate could be stabilized but he admitted that everyone was \u201cfearful\u201d when the daily numbers continue to rise.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ryan also said that if counties moved to level 4 restrictions the schools would stay open.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, no matter what, I think the Government is committed that it is important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe international evidence is that it can be done safely and I think our schools have done a good job in terms of making it safe for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n
His remarks came as people over 70 and those medically vulnerable were advised to limit their social contacts to a small core group for short periods of time, while remaining socially distanced.<\/p>\n
Acting chief medical officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said on Friday that the numbers reported over the past week represented a significant escalation in the profile of Covid-19 in Ireland.<\/p>\n