Covid-19: Third lockdown amid warnings virus is out of control

Two women walk on Burrow beach in Dublin. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland is rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine at a slower pace than other countries, but it will catch up.

The country is now in lockdown for at least a month, with soundings from Government suggesting that the latest restrictions could run into February.

Declaring the state of the pandemic as "extremely serious", Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that the number of positive cases would deteriorate further, even after seeing record levels in the past week.

In a desperate bid to bring the virus back under control, he confirmed that schools will remain shut until January 11 as the country enters its third nationwide lockdown.

Watch: Taoiseach Micheál Martin live statement on further Covid-19 restrictions. | Read more: https://t.co/QDB1KwgL7M https://t.co/QLrlURZCaP

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 30, 2020

Other restrictions which come into effect from today include:

• A ban on household visits in a bid to prevent New Year's Eve parties;
• Non-essential retail, gyms, and leisure facilities to close from this evening;
• The 5km exercise restrictions will come back into effect;
• The travel ban to the UK will be extended to January 6. As a similar new variant has been identified in South Africa, this ban will also apply to South Africa;
• No gatherings except for weddings, which can have six guests, and funerals, which can have 10 mourners. These measures take effect from January 2;
• People may meet with people from one other household in outdoor settings when taking exercise;
• Schools will reopen on January 11, but childcare and creche facilities will stay open;
• Bars, cafes, restaurants, including hotel restaurants and bars, will be permitted to serve takeaway food and delivery only;
• Support bubbles will remain in place.

The Taoiseach said that the move was necessary to "apply the brakes" on the spread of the virus, with the newest UK variant of the virus now spreading in the community in Ireland. 

"While international research into this new variant is ongoing, it is already very clear that we are dealing with a strain of the disease that spreads much, much more quickly," he said.

Indeed, it is spreading at a rate that has surpassed the most pessimistic models available to us.

"The truth is, that with the presence of the new strain and the pace of growth, this is not a time for nuance in our response."

He said while the next month will be "very tough for everyone", there is an end in sight with vaccines.

"For the first time since this awful disease landed on our shores, we truly have an end in sight," he said.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that the news would be "a very hard blow" for retail and gym industries, but said that the pandemic unemployment payment, the CRSS payments, and TWSS would all be available, as well as a rates waiver for the first quarter of 2021 for closed businesses.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says he is very optimistic about the summer ahead but adds, "I think the next three months in Ireland will be difficult." pic.twitter.com/lmyO9MQdk2

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 30, 2020

Transport minister Eamon Ryan said that people who were hoping to travel abroad next year should wait for the next three months before they book anything, urging people to "hunker down".

The announcement came as a further 1,718 cases of the virus were confirmed, as well as an additional 13 deaths.

It is the second consecutive day where a new record high of cases was announced.

Health officials also confirmed there were 455 Covid-19 patients in hospital, of which 37 are in ICU. That is an additional 60 hospitalisations in the last 24 hours.

If you were exposed to #COVID19 on Christmas Day, you would be at your most infectious to people you encounter tomorrow on New Year’s Eve.

This poses a serious risk of significant additional spread. #StayAtHome and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/eMUPynPmLx

— Dr Tony Holohan (@DrTonyHolohan) December 30, 2020

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned that the virus is out of control.

"Ireland is no longer in a containment phase and is once again in a mitigation phase," he said.

"Given the current levels of transmission in the community, every individual should consider themselves potentially infectious.

“It is essential that we all limit our contacts to our own household now, restrict our movements and do not give Covid-19 any further opportunities to spread."

The Taoiseach made his remarks just hours after senior health officials gave a bleak assessment of the current state of the virus in Irish society.

There has been a 41% rise in the demand for Covid-19 testing, with some 63,000 referrals made in the last week.

That number is also expected to double in the next week, according to Niamh O'Beirne, the HSE's national lead for testing and tracing, with 25,000 tests per day expected to be carried out in the coming days.

The virus detection rate has now reached 8.9%, with the number of contact tracing calls soaring also.

Paul Reid, HSE chief, said their worst concerns from before Christmas have now been realised, describing the situation as "very alarming and high-risk".

Meanwhile, following calls from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Government confirmed there will be no cuts to PUP until the end of March at the earliest. 

A memo will be brought to Cabinet on Tuesday by social protection Minister Heather Humphreys to keep the rates as they are.