THERE HAS been a further spike in coronavirus cases in Ireland.
As of yesterday, Tuesday 18 August at 7pm, 190 new cases of the virus were identified within the community in a 24-hour period.
The sharp rise in figures brings the total number of cases confirmed in Ireland to 27,499, following the denotification of 4 cases.
One person has sadly passed away with the virus, bringing the death toll to 1,775.
The new cases are spread across the country, with 48 identified in Kildare, 46 in Dublin, 38 in Tipperary, 20 in Limerick, 7 in Clare and the other 31 cases in Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said of the worrying new figres:
"As we learn to live with this disease, we need to strike a balance between enjoying our lives and behaving responsibly. By reducing our social contacts and following the public health advice we can suppress this virus.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, said "we need every household to play its part and every workforce and organisation to provide a safe environment". (Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)"To keep our shops, hotels, restaurants and sporting activities open, we need every household to play its part and every workplace and organisation to provide a safe environment so that we can protect our loved ones, safeguard the most vulnerable, protect our health services and ensure children get back to school in the coming weeks.”
On Saturday, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) revealed there had been 200 cases confirmed in a 24-hour, marking the largest daily rise in cases since early May, but with the figure dropping to the 60's and 50's in the days following there were hopes this worrying number was a one-off.
However the new figure of 190 has led to a 'severe' tightening of restrictions across the country to prevent a serious second wave of the virus.
Sports will be played behind closed doors, the number of visitors to a person's house has been restricted and companies are urged to tell their employees to work from home wherever possible.
Schools are still expected to open in two weeks time however, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated.
