The HSE Mid-West’s Director of Public Health is urging people to dramatically reduce their contacts and stay at home.
It comes amid major concern about rapidly rising cases numbers of Covid-19 across the country, which is placing severe strain on the health system.
Non-urgent health care will be scaled back in hospitals this week.
Last night almost five thousand cases were confirmed in Ireland, the highest number recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.
Health officials are warning that number is likely to rise to seven thousand within days.
There are currently three thousand healthcare workers out of action for reasons related to the virus and the Head of the HSE says non urgent health care will have to be scaled back in hospitals this week.
In addition, people who are close contacts of someone with Covid-19 aren’t being tested because of demands on the system.
HSE CEO Paul Reid says they may have to prioritise vulnerable groups for testing, if the system becomes overwhelmed.
The HSE’s Director of Public Health in the Midwest is urging people in Clare to reduce their contacts to the absolute minimum.
169 new cases were confirmed in Clare last evening, and while some of those cases are a result of a backlog in the system, Dr. Mai Mannix has estimated that 80 to 90 cases are being confirmed in the county each day at present.
She says while the majority of people are complying with the rules, she believes some people are still going to work, or meeting people when symptomatic.
She’s confident that Clare people will flatten the curve once again, if each of us play our part.
