LATEST: No further deaths but 66 new cases of virus, anger over footage of ‘shameful’ scenes in Dublin bar
There has been no further coronavirus-related deaths but 66 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.
It means the overall death toll as a result of the virus remains at 1,774. There are now 27,257 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
No new cases of the virus have been diagnosed in Kilkenny, the Department of Health confirmed.
The surge in infections in recent days has seen Ireland’s 14-day average of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people has jumped to 22.1 according to the latest guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The ECDC figures are used to decide which countries are on the Government’s Green List for travel, which is due to be updated this week.
The United Kingdom is currently at 18.6. Germany is at 16.3.
When the Government first announced the Green List, Ireland was at around five cases per 100,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, has warned there are now multiple clusters of Covid-19, with secondary spread of disease and rising numbers of cases in many parts of the country.
Dr Glynn described the development as “deeply concerning”. He said the National Public Health Emergency Team would monitor the situation extremely closely over the coming days.
Amid deepening concern over the spike in Covid cases, anger flared online today after social media footage emerged showing people not complying with Covid-19 public health guidance at a venue in Dublin.
The footage, which was filmed at around 4pm iyesterday n Berlin D2 on Dame Lane, shows a man with a bottle of spirits swinging from the top of a bar and pouring alcohol into the mouths of several people who are dancing below.
Restaurants Association of Ireland CEO Adrian Cummins described the scenes as “deplorable and despicable” and a “slap in the face to front-line workers who are putting their life on the line during this pandemic”. Mr Cummins said gardaí should take immediate action “to stamp out this kind of behaviour”.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly also responded to the video, saying people “are rightly sickened by the scenes”.
In a post on Twitter, the minister said: “The vast majority of Irish people have sacrificed a huge amount to help suppress this virus. They’ve shown huge solidarity. The reckless actions of a small few can have huge repercussions on everyone else.”
Simon Harris, his predecessor as health minister, described the scenes as “shameful”.
