IRELAND'S ACTING Chief Medical Officer has issued a stark warning to the public as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country.
66 new cases were identified within the community as of yesterday evening, Sunday 16 August, but no new deaths.
While this is a drop from the hugely worrying 200 new cases on Saturday, Ireland's 14-day incidence is now at 22 per 100,000 people.
Kildare, Laois and Offaly remain in localised lockdowns, and of the 66 new cases yesterday, 21 were identified in Kildare.
16 are in Dublin, 6 in Limerick and the rest of the 23 were identified in Clare, Donegal, Laois, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary and Wicklow.
Speaking yesterday evening, Acting CMO Dr Ronan Glynn confirmed that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) would meet today to discuss the rise in figures.
The team "will make any necessary recommendations to Government which are required to protect the vulnerable, continue with the resumption of healthcare services and ensure the safe reopening of our schools".
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, announced there had been 66 new cases of the virus identified in the community (Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)"The phased reopening of the country has afforded people the opportunity to socialise with each other again," Dr Glynn continued.
"However, some are doing this recklessly and undermining the efforts of the majority of people around the country who are following public health advice.
"This cannot continue. This pandemic isn’t over just because we are tired of living with it.
"We must all learn to behave and interact in a new way over the coming months so that COVID-19 cannot take root again in our communities. Please avoid crowds, reduce your social contacts, keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear face coverings."
Dr Glynn's comments come after videos surfaced on social media of a pub in Dublin openly flouting social distancing and public health guidelines, with a crowd gathered at the bar while the barman poured alcohol into people's mouths straight from the bottle.
The video sparked huge public backlash, including from former health minister Simon Harris, who called it a "kick in the gut and middle finger to everyone in our country who has worked so hard and sacrificed so much".
