Harris warns against visiting friends or family as community transmissions grow

Health Minister Simon Harris has warned that people visiting friends or family unnecessarily are at greater risk of spreading the coronavirus than people who are arriving in Ireland from abroad.

Community transmissions now account for more than half of all cases in Ireland.

“We know we’re going to see many cases in our country, we sadly know we’re going to see deaths in our country, but we also know the measures we’re taking together, tough and challenging though they are, can make a real difference,” he told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show.

“We now have sadly seen 19 deaths from COVID-19, and I hope people are very much getting the message that we would not have done the

extraordinary things this week, were it not that serious. We have to take this extremely seriously in the coming days.”

The Minister said he was concerned that people are focussing on external issues which was missing the point.

“If you decide to continue to leave your home unnecessarily, then you are risking spreading this virus. If you’re leaving your house today to make an unnecessary visit to a friend or family member, you’re at much greater risk of spreading that virus than anybody else arriving in our country," he said.

“If you’re deciding to pop into a neighbour for a cup of coffee, human things that we all like to do, you’re spreading that virus. I need you to stay at home unless you absolutely need to leave your home.”

The Health Minister also said that the first plane-load of PPE will land in Ireland on Sunday.

He said 10 extra planes will follow in the subsequent days.

"We usually spend €15 million a year on PPE. This year, we are spending €225 million; that is nearly 15 years of PPE," he said.

He also praised Aer Lingus and Ryanair for ‘stepping up’, with pilots volunteering to fly over to China to pick up the equipment.

Mr Harris also said his "gut feeling" is that the current policies toward dental procedures needs to be examined. He has asked the NPHET to take a look at it.

"They will bring clarity shortly," he said, responding to questions from concerned dentists, who have called on health officials to cancel routine dental procedures amid fears of spreading the virus. I get the point they are making," Mr Harris said.

The Health Minister also praised the work of gardaí helping out in the local community and warned that anyone "who decides to be a bit of an idiot" simply won't be tolerated in terms of social distancing, gatherings and instances of coughing or spitting at people.

Elsewhere, Minister Harris noted that officials will be visiting workplaces and businesses still open - such as construction sites - to ensure social distancing guidance is being followed.

"We have given them 48 hours to comply and we will be using the agencies of the state, including the HSA, to make sure they are," he said.

The NPHET are also examining the rate of admissions to ICU and the geographical spread of cases. Some two-thirds are in Dublin or Cork, he said, and they are keen to see if there is something that can be done to slow the spread of the virus.