A dramatic escalation of the coronavirus crisis has seen 40 new cases confirmed and a nationwide closure of every pub and nightclub, putting 50,000 jobs in jeopardy.
There has been an eight-fold increase in the number of confirmed cases in just seven days.
Following a weekend of blatant disregard for social distancing protocols, the Government requested the closure of all 7,000 pubs and nightclubs until March 29 at least, but many fear it could be considerably longer than that.
The nationwide closure came after people in the 20 to 40 age group, as well as some high-profile pubs, ignored repeated pleas from Government and the HSE about social distancing.
“This is a very, very serious virus,” said Health Minister Simon Harris. “This has taken the lives of thousands of people across the globe and sadly two people here. This is a point of national crisis. People need to wise up and cop on. This is not an excuse to have Covid-19 parties.”
The National Public Health Emergency Team said that:
- Including the 40 new cases, the total number of confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland now stands at 169;
- Of the 40 new cases, 23 are males and 17 females;
- 25 are associated with the east of the country, nine with the west, and six with the south.Mr Harris made the announcement following discussions with the Licenced Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI).
He said: “The LVA and VFI outlined the real difficulty in implementing the published guidelines on social distancing in a public house setting, as pubs are specifically designed to promote social interaction in a situation where alcohol reduces personal inhibitions.”
AdvertisementDonal O’Keeffe, CEO of the LVA, said the decision would have a devastating impact on his members but that it was the right call.
“It is an absolutely traumatic day for the licenced trade, with 7,000 pubs closing with immediate effect and 50,000 jobs gone overnight,” said Mr O’Keeffe. “This is absolutely the right thing to do, we are doing it in the long term interests of public health.”
Brian Foley of the VFI warned that many pubs which close their doors tonight will not reopen.
From today, the HSE will have “new electronic processes” in operation from Monday to deal with the increased demand in testing, despite concerns the system will be overloaded.
The purpose is to allow general practitioners more easily order testing for patients where clinically indicated.
The Irish Times is to close its offices for at least 48 hours after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. The newspaper and website will continue to operate, it said.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government is likely to seek greater enforcement powers to stop mass gatherings in pubs and clubs.
Mr Varadkar took to Twitter on Sunday morning to say that the Government’s direction that “no indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people applies to pubs and clubs.”
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney called on Irish tourists in Spain who want to fly home to do so by midnight on Thursday.
Mr Coveney held talks with his Spanish counterpart as well as the chief executives of Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
France and Spain joined Italy in imposing lockdowns on tens of millions of people, while Australia ordered self-isolation on people arriving in the country.
The virus has infected some 156,000 people globally and killed more than 5,800.
Political Editor - Irish Examiner
