People should not travel home to Ireland for Christmas due to the threat posed by Covid-19, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has advised.
“Travel that would normally happen at Christmas would have to be regarded as non-essential this Christmas,” he told reporters at a National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) briefing on Thursday evening.
Nphet reported a further 395 cases of Covid-19 and one related death on Thursday. A total of 1,965 deaths from the disease have been recorded in the State since the pandemic began and a total of 66,632 cases have been confirmed.
Around one third (132) of the latest cases were in Dublin with 31 in Cork, 27 in Donegal, 27 in Limerick and 27 in Galway, with the remaining cases spread across 18 counties. The median age of those infected was 35 years.
The department said that of 2pm on Thursday a total of 279 Covid-19 patients were in hospitalis across the State, with 39 people in intensive care.
Dr Holohan said he was concerned about the picture in the rest of Europe, due to high and rising rates of Covid-19 in many countries.
Many of the countries affected were ones the Ireland has a close travel relationship with, he said, and the importation of cases was one of the most significant risks the State faces, he said.
Asked about internal travel at Christmas, he said Nphet would give formal consideration to its future recommendations in two weeks’ time, shortly before the current Level 5 measures are due to end.
However, he warned that large-scale social events involving alcohol, office parties and large family get-togethers “are not going to be possible”.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar earlier advised Irish people intending to come home from abroad for Christmas not to book their flights at the moment due uncertainty related to the pandemic.
Ireland is half way through a six-week Level 5 lockdown, which is due to end on December 1st. The Government may then ask the public to limit their close contacts to family only over the Christmas period.
Mr Varadkar said in the Dáil: “I know that’s difficult. I know that’s tough but Christmas is six weeks away and it’s too soon for people to be booking flights to come home.”
Reproduction number
Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team’s epidemiological modelling advisory group, said the latest estimates suggest the reproduction number for the disease has fallen to 0.6, meaning each confirmed case is infecting less than one other person.
“Data suggests that Level 3 measures stabilised case numbers, while Level 5 measures were required to suppress transmission, especially when infection rates are high. If we sustain our efforts we can force infection down to very low levels,” he said.
Dr Holohan said not every part of the State has experienced the same reduction in cases since the latest lockdown began.
“For example, Donegal’s 14- day incidence is at 281 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 135 per 100,000,” he said.
“The country as a whole can succeed in suppressing this disease to low levels in the coming weeks. We have achieved a great deal of suppression over the Level 5 period, the coming weeks offer us an opportunity to drive transmission down further.”
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health earlier said a further 15 people had died and 548 positive tests were recorded in the previous 24 hours. Stormont’s parties on Thursday evening came to a compromise to extended the current curbs for a further week.
For now, those planning to return to the State for Christmas face having to pay up to €200 for a private Covid-19 test if they want to reduce their quarantine period.
The Cabinet has agreed that arrivals from countries with a “red” rating in the EU-wide traffic light system from midnight on November 29th will not have to restrict their movements for the full 14 days if they produce a negative PCR test at least five days after their arrival.
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is considered the gold standard in testing for Covid-19.
Test costs
Covid-19 testing is free for people who fear they may have the illness but not for those who are travelling to and from other countries or want to shorten their period of movement restriction.
A number of medical centres and other companies are offering PCR tests for between €160 and €190, with varying turnaround times.
Travellers from “orange” regions will be allowed come into Ireland without restricting their movements as long as they have proof of a negative PCR test that was done no longer than three days before their arrival.
Travellers from “green” regions will not need to restrict their movements when they arrive in another country.
Under the EU traffic light system, the map of green, orange, red and grey regions will be updated every Thursday based on EU epidemiological data and the changes will be applied in Ireland the following Monday.
A country or region will be coloured grey if there is insufficient data on testing and incidence rates can be found.
The Government has said it would keep travel from the US under review but the same “red” country arrangements would apply to travellers from there. (Read Conor Pope’s Q&A on the new arrangements for travel)
Last Christmas around 1.2 million people arrived into and departed from Dublin Airport over the festive period.
Passengers using Dublin Airport will be able to be pay for a test pre-flight for coronavirus after the Cabinet approved a planning exemption for a privately run testing facility at the airport.
Two drive-in Covid-19 test centres have opened at Cork and Shannon airports, with tests understood to be priced from €149.
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