Tony Holohan more concerned about Covid-19 now than when he recommended Level 5

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said he is more concerned about how Covid-19 is spreading in the State now than he was when the recommendation to move to Level 5 was made to Government.

Speaking at his first media appearance since returning from an extended period of leave, and since the recommendation, he said “If anything . . . the level of concern that I had [on Sunday] is less than the level of concern I have now.”

“All of the major indicators of this disease have gotten worse – our concern is getting greater and faster,” he said.

Separately on Wednesday night, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that UK prime minister Boris Johnson made contact with him on Sunday night expressing his concern about the prospect of the Republic going into a Level 5 lockdown and creating a large disparity with guidelines in the North.

Government knew of Holohan concerns before Level 5 Nphet meeting

---

Bars and cafes shut in European capitals as second wave takes hold

---

Covid-19: Scottish bars and restaurants hit with further closures, restrictions

---

Lilly seeks emergency approval for Covid drug

---

Exchange with Johnson

In the exchange with Mr Johnson, the Taoiseach then conveyed his concerns about the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in the North.

Mr Martin emphasised the Government had not decided to go to Level 5, but that it was a recommendation of Nphet and would be subject to a Government decision.

The Department of Health last night confirmed a further five deaths of people with the virus, bringing the total in the State to 1,816. And a further 611 cases were confirmed, bringing the total infections since March to 39,584.

Case numbers are now growing exponentially, as are hospitalisations, Prof Philip Nolan, head of the Irish epidemiological modelling group said.

“If nothing changes, we would expect intensive care admissions and sadly deaths to follow the same path.

“We simply cannot protect people in that age bracket, nor can they protect themselves, if the level of disease in the wider community continues to rise.”

Garda checkpoints

Meanwhile, a network of 132 static Garda checkpoints on motorways and large arterial routes around the Republic resulted in serious congestion on Wednesday morning and evening.

Garda sources said checkpoints would switch from one side of roads to the other between mornings and evenings meaning delays twice a day for commuters. They added there would be long delays as traffic was funnelled into one lane at checkpoints.

One source said there had been a “creep” of people returning to their workplaces in recent months though many could work from home.