AROUND SEVENTY CASES of Covid-19 in recent weeks have been linked to pubs and restaurants in Cork, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said this evening. 

Asked by TheJournal.ie to provide additional information after he specifically appealed to people in Cork, Monaghan, Galway and Roscommon, Dr Glynn confirmed that 70 cases reported in Cork over the past 14 days had been linked to pubs and restaurants. 

“That’s in the context of 350 cases in Cork over the past fortnight,” said Dr Glynn. 

In Galway, meanwhile, a “significant cluster” has been linked to a house party in the city, Dr Glynn said. 

NPHET this evening confirmed a further 390 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. 

There are no new deaths reported as a result of Covid-19. The total number of confirmed cases in Ireland stands at 35,377. 

The figures were released by the Department of Health at a briefing this evening. 

Of today’s figures, some 209 cases were confirmed in Dublin which is currently under Level 3 restrictions. 

Some 27 cases are in Cork, 22 in Donegal, 21 in Galway, 14 in Kildare, 14 in Monaghan, seven in Roscommon, seven in Tipperary, seven in Waterford, seven in Wexford, six in Limerick, six in Longford, five in Laois, five in Meath, five in Offaly, and five in Sligo.

The remaining 23 cases are spread across eight counties. 

Dublin and Donegal are currently at Level 3 on the Living with Covid framework meaning they face stricter Covid-19 measures than the rest of the country. 

A decision will be made this week on whether to increase Covid-19 restrictions in Louth, Cork, Wicklow and Galway amid a rising number of cases in the four counties. 

Drink-only pubs in counties currently at Level 2 were allowed reopen from 21 September after six months of closure. Publicans have previously queried the evidence cited by NPHET for not allowing these establishments to reopen. 

Some 66% of today’s confirmed cases are under 45 years of age. Meanwhile, some 45 of the 390 cases confirmed today were identified as a community transmission. 

Dr Glynn this evening said numbers were rising fast in Cork, Galway, Monaghan and Roscommon and people everywhere needed to take action, reduce their social contacts and keep their distance from others. 

Lorna Fitzpatrick, president of the Union of Students in Ireland, today urged students to keep the public health guidelines in mind when making plans around socialising.