Outbreaks linked to funerals and workplaces are contributing to a “worrying” rise in Covid-19 infection rates the Chief Medical Officer has said.
Dr Tony Holohan said there was also evidence of small numbers of people gathering for social purposes and ignoring public health messages.
Dr Holohan said higher case numbers had persisted for a number of days as he warned again that progress to suppress the virus was at risk.
As of 2pm today, 249 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 31 are in ICU. 5 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) November 15, 2020
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Another 378 cases were confirmed on Sunday, along with one further Covid-19 linked death.
The death toll in the Republic now stands at 1,979, with 67,903 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
The five-day moving average of case numbers has increased from 354 to more than 400 in recent days.
“This is a worrying development which has persisted for the last few days,” said Dr Holohan.
“We are seeing a number of things which concern us. There are examples of small numbers of people congregating for social purposes and simply ignoring the important public health messages.
"They are putting our collective progress at risk," said Dr Holohan.
“We are also seeing number of outbreaks across the country. These include outbreaks in association with funerals.
"We understand that this is a difficult time for families but it is really important that we do everything we can to avoid the circumstances which promote transmission of the virus," he added.
“There have also been outbreaks associated with workplace settings. As we head into a new working week, we need to stay at home other than for essential reasons and for personal exercise within 5km. Anyone who can work from home should work from home.”
As of 2pm on Sunday, 249 coronavirus patients were in hospital, 31 of whom were in intensive care.
