Coronavirus: A Further 17 People Have Died

The latest news updates on Wednesday 27th May.

Figures:

A further 17 people have died from Covid 19 in the Republic.  

It brings the death toll to 1631. 

73 new cases have also been confirmed.  

A total of 24,803 people have now contracted the virus here. 

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan has details on the deceased; 

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the midlands is 1,401.

Westmeath has seen a slight jump of one case, with the county now recording 664 people with the virus.

There's been an increase of one case in Laois with 258 confirmed with coronavirus.

Offaly is the only county in the midlands not to see an increase with the confirmed cases remaining at 479.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that a total of 17 people with COVID-19 have died.

There have now been a total 1,631 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland*.

As of midnight Tuesday 26 May the HPSC has been notified of 73 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

There is now a total of 24,803 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Monday 25 May (24,730 cases), reveals: 57% are female and 43% are male the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years 3,251 cases (13%) have been hospitalised Of those hospitalised, 399 cases have been admitted to ICU 7,891 cases are associated with healthcare workers Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,961 (48% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,451 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,408 cases (6%) Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 40%, close contact accounts for 58%, travel abroad accounts for 2%

Supermacs:

The boss of Supermac's insists he has never called for the abolition of the Covid payment scheme.

Pat Mc Donagh says he fully supports it but believes anomalies that had developed over time needed to be addressed.

He was responding to criticism from Rise TD Paul Murphy.

Student accommodation:

Students are being advised not to hand over a deposit for college accommodation until they know if they need it.

There are calls for clarity on what the academic year will be like, and how often students will have to attend campus.

Threshold and the USI have issued the warning to ensure people are not left out of pocket and fighting for the return of deposits and rent if their circumstances change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CEO of Threshold John Mark McCafferty says students should wait to see what kind of arrangement they need:

5km restriction:

The Taoiseach has suggested the plan for unlocking the country can be sped up if the medical evidence remains strong.

However Leo Varadkar warned people need to hold the line and wait for more evidence ahead of a June 5th decision on proceeding to phase two.

Health Minister Simon Harris has told the Dáil the reproductive rate of the virus remains stable at between 0.4 and 0.5.

Gardai say for the most part, people are adhering to the 5km restriction.

Checkpoints will be increased around the country for the June Bank Holiday weekend as part of a road safety campaign.

60 people have lost their lives on the roads this year, including 18 pedestrians - double the number of walkers killed last year.

Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary says people are complying with restrictions and is appealing to them to stay safe:

Economy:

The long-term future of the economy remains somewhat uncertain according to the Central Bank.

The Irish Fiscal Council has predicted that the recovery from the impact of COVID-19 will take up to three and a half years.

However the Central Bank has not made a similar estimation.

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Sharon Donnery says recovery is completely dependent on the virus:

Hotels:

The head of one of the largest Hotel groups in the country says it would be a mistake not to allow hotels open sooner than planned in the government's roadmap.

A series of measures are being implemented by the Dalata group, that includes the Clayton and Maldron hotels, to allow them reopen on July 20th.

Under normal conditions the company employs between 4,500 and 5,000 employees.

CEO Pat Mc Cann says he would like to see hotels back open at the beginning of July:

Travel:

There was a 99% reduction in the number of people travelling here from overseas last month.

Only around 16 thousand people arrived into the Republic through airports and ports in April, down from 1.7 million during the same month last year.

Just under 13 thousand people flew out of the country last month.

The majority of these people were flying to destinations in the EU and Britain.

McDonalds:

McDonalds has confirmed all drive thrus will be open by next week.

51 restaurants will re-open by next Thursday, following the re-opening of six branches in Dublin last week.

McDonalds says the 30 euro limit per car will remain in place, along with a reduced menu.

It says it will work with gardai and local communities, after large queues and traffic disruption during the re-opening last week.

Fund:

The European Commission has announced a 750 billion euro coronavirus recovery fund.

Commisssion President Ursula von der Leyen says 500 billion in grants and 250 billion in loans will be offered to member states.

The funds raised will need to be repaid through future EU budgets.

Ursula von der Leyen explained to MEPs how the initiative will work:

Geographical approach:

An economist says a geographical approach could be needed to tackle the Covid 19 crisis, instead of a ‘one size fits all’ model.

Frank Crowley from Cork University Business School carried out research and found the Greater Dublin area will be the least affected by social distancing measures and remote working.

He says smaller towns will suffer if changes aren’t made:

Risk to charities:

Charity services are at risk of collapse over the coming months, according to a body that represents the sector.

The Wheel says many are facing an unprecedented social and economic crisis in the wake of Covid-19.

A recent survey by the Charities Regulator has found more than half say they'll be unable to continue providing services for more than six months.

CEO, Deirdre Garvey, says the pandemic has led to a perfect storm for charities and voluntary groups:

UK:

In the UK, it now doesn’t look like there will be a review of fines given to families who breached lockdown to get child care.

The health secretary had suggested they could be looked at after Dominic Cummings travelled 260 miles to Durham with his son in March.

Matt Hancock was asked about it during yesterday's press conference.

Reverend Martin Poole - who asked the question in the briefing - says it's unfair:

Spain:

Spain begins 10 days of mourning today to honour those who have died from Covid-19.

The country was one of the worst hit by the virus in Europe with nearly 30,000 deaths. 

Flags will fly at half mast over all of the country's public buildings and on its navy ships.

The period will end with an official ceremony led by the King of Spain.

Meat factories:

Another 103 meat factory staff have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past week. 

It brings the total number of cases in these plants to 925. 

The HSE says each cluster has been assigned a local outbreak team to manage the situation.

Very welcome & significant drop in number of #Covid19 patients in Irish hospitals. A reduction of 70 in 24 hours. Let’s keep driving it down & weakening the grip of this awful virus. We will get there. Please keep following public health advice. Thanks for all you are doing pic.twitter.com/DWr4xhFxKD

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) May 27, 2020

Warning against austerity:

Adopting austerity measures in the wake of Covid-19 would be socially indefensible and economically ill-judged.

That's the message from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which is today publishing its plan for Ireland post-pandemic.

It includes massive investment in public housing, a reformed social security system and free universal public healthcare.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King says it's important mistakes of the past recession aren't repeated:

National debt:

There's a warning Ireland's debt could return to near record levels due to Covid-19.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council says it could reach 160 percent of gross national income - up from 99 percent in 2019.

In its latest financial assessment, it also warns it could take up to three and a half years for the economy to return to pre-crisis levels.

But Chair of IFAC, Sebastian Barnes, says a scenario similar to the financial crash in 2008 can be avoided:

Visiting nursing homes:

Visits to nursing homes may return sooner than planned. 

The National Public Health Emergency Team says its aware of the impact the visitation ban is having on resident's mental health. 

Outdoor visits while maintaining social distancing is one of the options being considered. 

Currently visitors are not scheduled to return until phase three.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, says they're trying to be 'creative' with this issue:

Asked about possible failings in the approach taken to nursing home settings, Dr. Holohan said they had learned a lot since the outbreak began:

Local figures:

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the midlands is at 1,399.

Laois has the lowest amount of cases in the midlands at 257 and only sees a slight increase of one.

In Offaly, there's been an increase of one case and it now stands at 479 people confirmed with the virus.

It's the second consecutive day that Westmeath has seen no increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus, with the figure remaining at 663.