Dr. Tony Holohan confirms that new rules are being set as the Omicron variant spreads
Dr Tony Holohan has confirmed that new rules will be put in place to help Ireland stop the spread of the Omicron variant.
The variant, which is believed to be worse than the Delta strain that swept Ireland at the beginning of 2021, has already been recorded in a number of European countries, including the most worrying France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said it will be a few weeks before we know Omicron’s impact here and in the meantime people need to redouble their efforts to stop the spread of the disease.
The minister made the remarks as the Ministry of Health reported 3,735 new cases of Covid-19.
As of 8 a.m., there were 566 coronavirus patients in hospitals, an increase of 30 since Saturday.
And now the chief medical officer has confirmed that the new rules will be set by NPHET.
He said: «While there is a lot of interest in new variants, the delta variant incidence of COVID-19 is still very high in Ireland, with the infection spreading in the community. We all know the measures needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – good hand hygiene, wearing a covering To face, meet others outdoors where possible, and when indoors, open windows and ensure good ventilation, maintain distance, and of course, proceed for vaccination and booster when eligible.
“The NPHET Epidemiological Surveillance Team continues to meet this weekend to monitor the situation regarding the new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) and regulations are being developed to activate new travel and home quarantine policies.
“In the meantime, those who have traveled from any of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe to Ireland since 1 November are advised to isolate and submit a PCR test, regardless of symptom status. Book this for free on HSE.ie.”
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