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Ireland\u2019s tough Covid-19 restrictions could remain in place for the first half of the year, the Taoiseach has said.<\/p>\nIreland\u2019s tough Covid-19 restrictions could remain in place for the first half of the year, the Taoiseach has said.<\/p>\n
Miche\u00e1l Martin said the number of new daily cases of Covid-19 needs to fall into the hundreds, and possibly as low as 100-200, before restrictions can be relaxed.<\/p>\n
He added he is particularly concerned about the new UK variant of the virus.<\/p>\n
The Fianna F\u00e1il leader said the Government needs to adopt a \u201ccautious and conservative\u201d approach to managing the disease, warning the restrictions will be more prolonged than any to date.<\/p>\n
He told RTE Radio 1 on Saturday: \u201cCase numbers have to be well below, have to be in the hundreds, if not 100-200. That low.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking of the variant. That\u2019s what my concern is. It will become the dominant variant here. It is at 62% of all cases. It transmits more easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have mass mobilization and mass socialization, it will spread again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think with the vaccines coming, there\u2019s an argument to be cautious and conservative now for the first half of this year, until we roll out the vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be witnessing far more prolonged restrictions than we have to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the Taoiseach, but I have to consult with my colleagues and ministers, and we\u2019ll consult with the opposition as well, but that is my sense of it until we get control.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added the restrictions will be reviewed every four weeks.<\/p>\n
The Government\u2019s Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 is due to meet on Monday to discuss the extension of the current restrictions.<\/p>\n
A final decision will be made on Tuesday following a Cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach told RT\u00c9\u2019s Brendan O\u2019Connor he is \u201cvery worried\u201d about the UK variant, and he had called UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson to discuss the latest research which suggests it may be more deadly than the original virus.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson revealed on Friday that the new variant could increase the mortality rate in some groups by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.<\/p>\n
It was already known that the new variant is up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach said Mr Johnson is \u201cworried\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr Martin said: \u201cI just asked him, what\u2019s his sense of it in terms of the research. He said: \u2018They are going to do more research on that.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s worried about the variant.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018There\u2019s something going on out there,\u2019 is what a lay person would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday saw a further 52 deaths and 2,371 new cases of Covid-19 reported by the Department of Health.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning there were 1,893 people with the disease in Irish hospitals, with 218 in ICU.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s 14-day incidence rate now stands at 1,017 per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n