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'We can never rule out' measures to reduce COVID spread - Martin

The wider use of Digital COVID Certs, antigen tests and a return to work-from-home are being considered
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

06.48 15 Nov 2021


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'We can never rule out' measur...

'We can never rule out' measures to reduce COVID spread - Martin

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

06.48 15 Nov 2021


Share this article


The Cabinet Subcommittee on COVID-19 will meet later to consider recommendations from NPHET, aimed at addressing rising infection rates.

The wider use of Digital COVID Certificates, antigen tests and a return of the work-from-home policy for non-essential workers are among the measures set to be discussed.

In a letter to the Government last week, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said there was "significant and sustained impact" across all aspects of the health service due to the current level of COVID-19.

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This included public health, testing and tracing services and general practice - as well as broader primary care services and the acute hospital system.

On testing, he said people who regularly engage in "higher risk activities" should consider self-testing on a regular basis.

He said this would be a minimum of twice weekly, spaced out by three days.

This could include going to bars, restaurants, nightclubs, the cinema, multi-household visits, playing indoor contact sports, and car sharing with people from other households.

There were also calls for "a further strengthening of communications targeted at individuals and sectors" on face masks.

A full Cabinet meeting will be held on Tuesday to approve any changes.

It comes as a further 3,805 cases were confirmed here on Sunday, while 596 patients were in hospital with the virus - 106 of those in ICU.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin says re-opening has clearly caused greater spread of the disease.

"We have re-opened society, the economy has bounced back - those are the positives - in terms of thousands and thousands of people coming back to work, in terms of enterprises that might have thought they didn't have a future a year ago back up and running.

"But it is having an impact in terms of the Delta variant being so transmissible; it's having an impact on hospitalisation, on our health service - as it is across Europe and across the world.

"So we've to be very mindful of that, and we can never rule out having to take measures to reduce that impact".

Meanwhile visitors to nursing homes will be required to show a COVID-19 vaccination certificate from today before entering the premises.

Other proof of immunity would also be acceptable.

The new requirement does not include essential service providers such as healthcare, legal or financial and advocacy services.

Main image: Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaks as he arrives for an EU leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium in October 2021. Picture by: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo

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