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The Covid-19 situation is as serious as it has ever been since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Minister.<\/p>\nThe Covid-19 situation is as serious as it has ever been since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Minister.<\/p>\n
Stephen Donnelly added a new variant of the virus recently identified in the UK was \u201cfar more contagious\u201d than anything else Ireland had dealt with so far.<\/p>\n
Speaking on his way into a Cabinet meeting expected to finalize new restrictions, the Minister said the Government had now received \u201cearly evidence\u201d of the variant\u2019s rapid spread in Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation now to my mind is as serious as it\u2019s been since the start of this,\u201d Minister Donnelly said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got more evidence last night, it\u2019s still early evidence, but more evidence of the prevalence and the rapid spread of the UK variant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis UK variant is unlike anything we have dealt with in this country so far. We\u2019re seeing what it\u2019s doing in the UK and what it is doing in countries across Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know it\u2019s here; the only question is to what level it is here. It is far more contagious than anything we have dealt with so far,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo regardless with what Cabinet decides today, everything is focused around one message: which is stay at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister advised anyone who was in the vulnerable category to think back to the first lockdown and how everybody behaved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink back to how careful everybody was and how careful everybody became,\u201d he said. \u201cThink like that again but remember this variant is more contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to look out for each other now. We\u2019ve got to slow this down,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Minister Donnelly\u2019s comments come after Government sources confirmed last night that a quarter of positive Covid-19 cases sampled in Ireland were found to contain the more infectious variant.<\/p>\n
Samples had previously suggested that the UK variant accounted for less than 10 per cent of cases in the Republic.<\/p>\n
Amid surging case numbers and hospitalizations, Cabinet Ministers are meeting this afternoon to finalize further public health restrictions.<\/p>\n
Schools are set to shut for the month while creches will only be open to children of essential workers.<\/p>\n
The majority of construction work is also expected to halt, with exemptions for essential projects.<\/p>\n
It is also expected that new requirements for travelers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test will be introduced, while there will be a ban on click and collect services for non-essential retailers.<\/p>\n
The number of people currently in hospital with the virus has now surpassed those recorded at the peak of the pandemic\u2019s first wave.<\/p>\n
There are currently 921 people with Covid-19 being treated in Irish hospitals this morning \u2014 the highest number since the pandemic began \u2014 with 75 people in intensive care.<\/p>\n