HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris has said he fears that there may be some complacency setting in with Ireland’s battle against Covid-19. 

Harris’ comments come after it was confirmed this evening that a further 39 people who contracted Covid-19 have died in Ireland. 

The Department of Health confirmed this evening that there are 445 new cases of coronavirus in the country, and 48 more Irish cases from a testing backlog have been also been confirmed by a lab in Germany. 

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland now stands at 15,251 and there have been a total of 610 deaths.  

“[I have] a little bit of fear that that’s an air of complacency creeping in in relation to Ireland battle against Covid-19 that we have to push back against,” Harris said in a video message on Twitter this evening.  

“I am hearing stories … of people beginning to somewhat relax their interpretation of the phrase ‘stay at home’ or the 2km rule or the keeping the social distance, the two metres,” he said. 

Harris went on to appeal to people “not to do that”.

“I can’t have a situation where all the amazing work you’ve done is undone in these two weeks, so please, please keep at it, stay at home. That is how we are going to save lives. 

“Now is not the time for complacency, let’s get through these next two weeks and that will enable us to get to a situation … where we’ll be able to look at where we’re at, and consider what’s next for Ireland,” Harris said. 

Related Reads

'The language is unacceptable': HSE officials criticise memo which described patients as 'dirty' and 'clean'

'We have zero backlog': HSE says Ireland's Covid-19 testing backlog has been cleared

Lifting restrictions will be ‘slow and controlled’, Covid-19 advisory group chairman says

“My message tonight is do not allow complacency to set in … That would be disastrous. It could potentially be fatal,” the Health Minister added. 

He said that he doesn’t expect a “light switch moment” on 5 May when the restrictions currently in place “are all of a sudden reversed”. 

“We’re going to have this virus with us for a long time,” he said

Harris thanked the public for flattening the curve, but warned that the “progress is fragile, we are at a very delicate moment and it would not take much for that to be reversed”.