By Digital Desk Staff
The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have both tested negative for Covid-19 following contact with a confirmed case.
The Irish Examiner reports that Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar were tested along with Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday after the Agriculture Minister returned a positive result.
Charlie McConalogue has mild symptoms and is self-isolating at home.
His spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that the Minister had tested positive, with the Donegal representative following all public health guidelines.
He had tested negative last week both before travelling to Brussels for a fisheries council meeting and immediately after arriving back in Ireland.
Restricted movements
The entire Cabinet was restricting its movements on Wednesday in line with public health advice while awaiting test results after Mr McConalogue attended the meeting of ministers on Tuesday in Dublin Castle.
Ministers met on Tuesday to agree on new coronavirus restrictions following a sharp rise in cases in recent days.
Public health officials have now told Government that Ireland’s Covid-19 situation is the most serious it has been since the pandemic arrived in March.
Current measures designed to suppress soaring infection rates will not be sufficient to bring cases below 1,000 each day and a full lockdown should come into force from St Stephen’s Day, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has said.
