CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr. Tony Holohan has said that now is not the time to end the cocooning of over 70s to protect them from Covid-19.  

Holohan said this evening that he is aware that it is a “challenging” request to make but that the virus has a “greater impact” on elderly people, regardless of their level of fitness.

Since the government’s stay-at-home order was issued on 27 March, people aged over 70 have been asked to stay at home at all times and avoiding face-to-face contact in a bid to prevent them contracting the virus.

Relatives and friends of those who are cocooned are permitted and encouraged to shop on their behalf.

With these restrictions now extended until at least 5 May, there have been some calls for the cocooning restrictions to be lifted for over 70s, allowing them exercise in the same way that those under 70s are specifically allowed.

But speaking this evening, Holohan said cocooning is not about suggesting that people over 70 are necessarily unfit or have medical conditions. 

“I can understand how challenging that is and how frustrating it is, many people over the age of 70 are fit and healthy and probably had a pre-existing lifestyle of active exercise, active participation in society so it’s particularly challenging for people in those age groups and those circumstances,” he said.

The reality is, we know that the risk of infection having a greater impact on an individual is greater, by virtue of your age, almost independent of whether you have an underlying medical condition or not. So somebody who’s older has a greater risk of having a more complicated experience with this infection if they pick it up. And we think that we can’t give advice to people that it’s appropriate for them to come back out and come to an end of the period of cocooning until we think that we have sufficient control in the community generally in relation to this disease, we don’t think we’re at that point yet.

“And while we think we’re making continued progress in that direction, we think we’re not there just a moment in time,” he added.

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Holohan said Professor Philip Nolan of the National Public Health Emergency Team will tomorrow provide a more detailed briefing of where the group believes the progress of Covid-19 is in Ireland. 

He added, however, it’s not yet at the point where the cocooning advice can be lifted.

“We won’t want to continue an arrangement like this, or a recommendation like this, given how challenging it is for people any the longer than we think that we think is necessary. But we think we’re not at that point yet,” he said.