Monaghan LEAs had Covid incidence rate at twice the national average

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan repeated advice against travelling past the 5km mark, especially flying on holidays, noting the health minister has now signed into law new powers for the gardaí around this.

Every local electoral area in Co Monaghan has a Covid-19 incidence rate twice that of the national average.

Between January 19 and February 1, the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney LEA had the highest rate in the country at 1,096 cases per 100,000.

Meanwhile, Monaghan and Ballybay-Clones LEAs had rates of 1,079 and 916 per 100,000 respectively.

The national rate was 455 cases per 100,000.

Dr Illona Duffy, a GP in Monaghan, says some local people are not following public health advice.

"Unfortunately we are continuing to see people who are delaying ringing us to get their testing done," Dr Duffy said.

"People who are continuing to say I feel fine and I'd like to get tested and if I'm negative I want to come out of my quarantine because I don't want to do 14 days because I've been told I'm a close contact."

Dr Duffy added: "The message still isn't getting through to everybody."

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases in Ireland continues to decline, but has now passed the 200,000 mark since the pandemic began.

Health officials announced a further 1,318 cases of the virus yesterday, breaking the 200,000 mark.

The country's r-rate — the rate of reproduction of the virus — has declined and is now between 0.5 and 0.8, health officials confirmed.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan also stressed that the current levels of the disease still remain dangerously high.

He would not speculate on lifting restrictions or increasing numbers at events such as weddings, saying it is too early. 

And he repeated advice against travelling past the 5km mark, especially flying on holidays, noting the health minister has now signed into law new powers for the gardaí around this.