Masks may be mandatory in some settings if Covid spikes
Mask wearing on public transport and in health settings might be mandatory again if there is a Covid wave this winter the Cabinet has heard this morning.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has brought a memo to Government outlining what steps will be taken if there is a major increase in Covid cases.
It notes that if required, the introduction of mask mandates in certain settings like transport and healthcare will involve what is described as “a point-in-time assessment of indicators.”
It adds this this will involve “due consideration of the personal, ethical, and public health perspectives.”
Mr Donnelly has said there has been a “significant” increase in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 over the last week.
Speaking on his way into the Cabinet meeting this morning, he said that while only 40% of those are in hospital because of Covid-19, there are knock-on effects as a result of infection control.
As of 8am, there were 474 people in hospital with the virus, up from 464 on the same time yesterday and 409 last Tuesday.
Of these, 13 people are in intensive care units with Covid-19.
There has been a ‘significant’ increase in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19, according to Minister Stephen Donnelly.
He added that the Government ‘hope things will remain calm’ over the winter | Read more: https://t.co/0eg5CUTyOM pic.twitter.com/19YflKuxNJ
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 11, 2022
Mr Donnelly also said there has been a huge uptake in Covid vaccines and that last week 80,000 people availed of a vaccine.
He said he brought the memo to Cabinet with advice from Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth and a Covid plan for the winter.
“We hope things will remain calm with Covid, but we can’t plan on that basis,” he said.
Also speaking as he arrived at Government Buildings, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said there was a briefing by the CMO last night who said that Covid-19 cases are rising again, but said “we would expect to be able to manage without any new restrictions”.
Covid cases are rising but the Govt ‘would expect to be able to manage without any new restrictions’, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said.
However he asked people to consider wearing masks again in crowded places and encouraged people to get vaccinated | More: https://t.co/tn0LhSwvwG pic.twitter.com/dpTEcFKlTd
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 11, 2022
However, he asked people to consider wearing masks again in crowded places and encouraged people to get vaccinated.
With additional reporting by Michéal Lehane
Read More: Masks may be mandatory in some settings if Covid spikes