Ireland urged to reintroduce Covid-19 restrictions now

'Make your own informed decisions. Just because a mask isn’t mandated, doesn’t mean it’s prohibited,' said Dr Hans Henri P Kluge. File picture

Ireland needs to increase Covid-19 vaccination efforts, reintroduce face masks and social distancing, and encourage regular antigen testing, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO said this is because all countries in Europe need to “urgently” do more to stop the rapidly increasing spread of Covid-19.

They will not only face higher death rates but also have to endure “severe” societal disruption, including travel chaos and hits to healthcare systems.

The warning comes amid more than 3,000 Covid-19-related deaths in Europe every week.

The WHO regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, said the region is facing a challenging autumn and winter if more is not done to deal with escalating cases.

He called for the reintroduction of measures such as physical distancing, face masks, and interventions to reduce social mixing, and to stagger work and rest hours.

He said: “With rising cases, we’re seeing a rise in hospitalisations, which are only set to increase further in the autumn and winter months as schools reopen, people return from holidays, and social mixing moves indoors with the onset of colder weather.

“This presents a huge challenge to the health workforce in countries already under enormous pressure dealing with unrelenting crises since 2020.”

Cases treble

Dr Kluge pointed out that Europe has seen a tripling of new Covid-19 cases over the past six weeks, with close to 3m new cases reported last week, accounting for nearly half of all new cases globally.

He said that although ICU admissions have so far remained relatively low, Europe is still seeing close to 3,000 people die of Covid-19 every week as infection rates in older groups continue to rise.

He said: “Looking to and preparing for the future is much more difficult yet must be urgently tackled.

 Waiting for the autumn to act will be too late. 

Dr Kluge said a new EU-WHO strategy requires countries like Ireland to “relaunch mitigation efforts” and be ready to respond to an increased burden on healthcare systems.

These efforts should, he said, include “critical” so-called pandemic stabilisers such as increased vaccination, the administration of second booster doses to immunocompromised people aged five and over, and the promotion of mask-wearing indoors and on public transportation.

Stabilisers should also include ventilating crowded and public spaces such as schools, offices, and public transport.

Dr Kluge said there also needs to be increased tracking of variants, complemented by continued use of rapid diagnostic testing, and a return to prioritising contact tracing.

Quarantine measures

Dr Kluge, who caught the virus two weeks ago, said there also needs to be a return to the use of quarantine measures based on WHO recommendations for “individuals, high-risk settings, and situations of concern”.

He said: “Make your own informed decisions. Just because a mask isn’t mandated, doesn’t mean it’s prohibited.

“My message to governments and health authorities is to act now to prepare for the coming months.

“If health authorities act now, they can help reduce the anticipated disruptions to society, including health worker absences and overburdened health systems, struggling businesses and travel chaos.”

According to the Department of Health, face masks are currently no longer mandatory.

However, they are still advised on public transport and in healthcare settings.

People are being encouraged to manage their risks of being exposed to the virus by wearing masks, physical distancing, and avoiding crowds, as well as maintaining basic hand and respiratory hygiene.