Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS said the regional lockdown restrictions are to remain in place for Kildare for two weeks, but will be lifted as planned for Laois and Offaly.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met yesterday to discuss the progress made over the last two weeks. Recommendations made by health officials were discussed by Cabinet today.
This evening, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that schools in Kildare will still re-open as planned.
He also praised people living in Kildare for sticking with the government’s advice.
“Your efforts are working, your efforts are saving lives and your efforts are preventing the sorts of measures being needed, that we all lived through, earlier this year,” Donnelly said.
He also said that the number of new cases in the county has stabilised and is falling, but it still remains too high.
“The number of cases per day, at 40, is about twice as high as it was two weeks ago. The measures are working, but they need more time,” Donnelly said.
The measures in Laois and Offaly have been lifted immediately, with the current restrictions in place for the rest of the country now applying there.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn also praised the efforts of people in the three counties.
“The country is safer now because you complied with measures,” he said.
Residents in the three counties were told two weeks ago that they should not leave their county in a bid to prevent transmission of Covid-19. People were asked to only undertake essential travel for two weeks, such as to attend medical appointments, for vital family reasons, for farming purposes or to travel to and from work that cannot be done from home.
Restaurants and pubs were also told they could only operate a takeaway and delivery service.
Over the last 14 days 455 cases had been reported in Kildare, 81 in Offaly and 41 in Laois.
Business
Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar said the government will provide further assistance to businesses in Kildare following the decision to extend restrictions.
“I realise how disappointing today’s news will be for the people of Kildare.
“It has been a devastating few months for business owners, their staff and families.
“By extending these restrictions now, we will avoid further, more damaging measures later on,” he said.
Varadkar said they must do everything they can to protect people.
“The people of Kildare are making a sacrifice on behalf of the entire country.
“I recognise that and we are redoubling our efforts to help businesses.”
‘Under control’
Glynn told reporters that testing is currently being carried out at other workplaces in Kildare.
“We need to see what comes of that testing,” he said.
He also indicated that the four major outbreaks in the county in meat factories and Direct Provision centres have been largely brought under control.
With reporting from Dominic McGrath
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The lifting of the lockdown gives the illusion that it somehow drove the case numbers down . The reality is the spike was caused in the first place by thousands of people being tested who otherwise wouldn’t have been tested .. due to one worker testing positive at the start .
Waterford has the same mix of people and food factories and they have no cases .. not because there is anything peculiar about Waterford .. it’s simply because of the testing .
So when inevitably a worker in Waterford tests positive at some stage will we lock the whole county down?
There are virtually no hospital admissions despite the identification of cases . We can’t go on in this cycle .
@Michael Waldron: they are still cases. They can pass it on to someone with the likes of CF. That is a certain death sentence for them. Think before you post. It’s not about who is showing symptoms or not. It’s about the potential.
@Oliver Jumelle: Fair enough but why has Waterford so few cases then?
@David Clements: I absolutely have elderly relatives. If I hadn’t, would that somehow not allow me share the good news fact that there are no virtually no additional admissions despite hundreds of new cases being identified. If you want to believe that 2 weeks of lockdown has somehow magically eradicated the virus in Laois & Offaly then that’s up to you.
@Oliver Jumelle: I have friends with vulnerable children who have been understandably very anxious since the start of March and I certainly don’t mean to offend. The point I’m trying to highlight is that Kildare’s make up is no different to other counties so why are similar case numbers not showing up around the country. I think if a PCR test was done in every food factory across Ireland there would be no reason to expect a different result to Kildare. Would this not be good news in that for example Cork & Waterford have a lot more factories than Kildare yet there isn’t a single person in either county in hospital sick with covid.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: I think he is referring to the casedemic from PCR tests detecting old inactive cases in factory workers.
@Oliver Jumelle: You’re missing his point. The same testing should be conducted in the same environments with the same circumstances in EVERY county. What’s so hard to understand about that? That’s merely asking for workers of all factories to be tested (as plants/factories are massive breeding grounds for infection clusters) not for every individual in the country to be tested. With that type of testing system there would be a way clearer illustration of where cases are and where clusters are.
@Thisguy: yes I think we would learn a lot if PCR tests were done in every factory across the country.
Just say they get similar results as in Kildare then the big question is what do we do ?
Instinct says lock down the area you find cases. .. but is that possibly wrong?
Unless something dramatically changes in the next week, you have to conclude that the cases found in Kildare actually caused no hospital admissions .. so why then if you found some cases in say a Waterford factory, would you lock the area down ?
I’m only teasing this out so any views would be welcome .
@Michael Waldron: Waterford has no cases?! Multiple cases have been confirmed in at least 3 of our big factories.
@Sirius: In the last 35 days Co Waterford has had a total of 9 cases .. that’s official data from Gov website. Maybe you’d like to send on the publication which shows all the cases you are claiming exist in Waterford ?
And schools in Kildare to open I presume ffs
@Mark: good point
@Mark: of course they are! Schools are the most important social service next to hospitals. You can’t grant children an education like you can grant a business funding so if you need to curb the spread it’s the former you target first.
@Mark: sorry but I don’t get your point at all. Are you saying that the children of Co Kildare don’t deserve the same education as everyone else? How is any of this possibly their fault?
@eoin carroll: it’s an essential trip so they’ll be waved thru any checkpoints. Just like those travelling to work.
@David Clements: A worthy sentiment but the virus doesn’t give a s*1t what’s right or wrong and it’s too late to explain your rationale to the kids at Nanny’s funeral.
@Mark: I just read that schools in kildare are to open as planned. Making stuff up as they go along
@David Clements: I’m saying you can argue the logic all you want but the virus doesn’t read the Journal comments section and it will kill some of the people who catch it and/or their relations whether they pick it up in Kildare village or their school regardless of how unfair you think that is.
@David Clements: you clown. You don’t think staggered return is advised to sort out the teething problem with school return in individual schools ? Start with a blended model ? You think primary school buses will be sanitized after the first 2 or 3 days ? Damn right they need an education but they need to avoid bringing home the virus to at risk parents more for now.
@eoin carroll: its the same as if ya work in dublin and live in kildare – they are asking people who CAN limit travel and work from home – not making it mandatory – they havent a shred of credibility managin this crisis and as soon as people can get to a ballot box to vote you will see how they have completely lost the ability to being people along – is there a hashtag for #allinthistogethermehole yet
@Mark: exactly, and a huge percentage of people in Co.Kildare work in Dublin( your allowed go to work) makes absolutely no sense
I’m a great supporter of the public health protection measures, but if anyone in Kildare was minded to say **** off and do what they liked I could not in any way hold it against them.
@Rochey77: I would
2 wrongs don’t make a right
@Rochey77: exactly what I’ll be doing. Political pawns.
@Nioe: is it wrong though? Show me the evidence that closing pubs and restaurants and putting up half baked checkpoints did anything to help stop the spread in Kildare? I’d argue it’s only gotten that way because the powers that be couldn’t get on top of meat plants which they had ample warning of
Just need to be seen to be doing something
@Luke: show me the evidence that it hasn’t made a difference?
Impossible to prove how effective a measure it is.
Reducing social interactions is how other countries are responding to outbreaks, even the much lauded New Zealander’s. Seems to work according to the experts.
@Nioe: if u come to Lexilip u can see first hand the insanity of this so called lockdown
Well they can fook right off with their restrictions.
I live in Kildare and will not be obeying this advise! I work side by side with my Dublin colleagues and they are free to go home and go out for a dinner, go to gym etc. I am sensible and as a front line worker have been out in the pandemic from the beginning. Lock down meat factory and cluster rather than all the ordinary folk
No problem let’s have a golf day and dinner, invite some high profile people, jobs oxo
I wish the government would stop giving us blanket numbers with respect to cases in kildare and tell us where the cases are happening as in area and factories. While bars and restaurants have to close meat factories seem to be able to open at will. Think about it, the factories that have driven this spike in kildare can open as they choose but bars and restaurants who have had no cases are closed. Unbelievable.
@Michael Ring: yes .. and worse still when the cases inevitably fall due to less testing it will be claimed that closing down the restaurants was the reason for decline.
Everyone in Kildare should just ignore this lockdown untill the government gets it house in order and sacks all involved with the golf gate. Collectively the people of Kildare should ignore and revolt.
@Sean D: and then the people of Kildare may hope their numbers don’t soar into the hundreds, disrupting their lives even further, preventing the reopening of schools, causing sickness possibly causing further deaths in the community, this must be very infuriating and frustrating for those in Kildare but what’s the alternative?
@Sean D: bad idea
Our golf society has a outing in The K Club tomorrow we are splitting the room don’t worry.
There are people getting 67 and 66 dublin buses going to and from Kildare and Dublin every few minutes. They’re full of kildare people travelling outside their county into Dublin city centre and back.
@Áine: I don’t think anyone cares anymore.
@Áine: there are people from Kildare on hols close to me. Up until this golf fiasco i was pretty annoyed at them, now i just think “you’re dead right”
@Áine: we shouldn’t criticise decent people for going to work, so long as they’re wearing face masks and following other guidance. If we had a proper testing system in this country then it would be possible for Kildare people to get tested, verify that they don’t have the disease and then continue with their normal lives. Rather than attempting to lock them inside their county.
@Áine: wow that’s amazing Aine inform the garda why don’t you get these people arrested
@Derek Lyster: they were always dead right. The last few weeks have been a massive excerise in bull….
@Áine: They are right not to listen to bul….t
It all went belly up when Tony and Leo left
@Alan Carthy: you mean the spindocters?
LAOIS UNLAOISED
Lock down Dublin higher numbers than kildare
I am free….
@LITTLEONE: Congrats, now use that freedom wisely ..
All county members invited to tomorrow’s protest
Good luck enforcing that after the Oireachtas’ party
All those in Kildare are welcome to come down to mine for a house party, it’s okay I’m calling it a golfing society get together, aslong as you bring a pair of clubs I have been assured it’s perfectly legal. BYOB
I’m sure it will be OK to leave Kildare to go to a golf dinner.
I don’t want to hear a negative word again about Trump and BoJo after that golf fiasco, More brain’s in a Dingos toe nail.
*more
*brains
*dingo’s
@mark: did you get bullied when you were young?
I think the only way out of this mess now is unfortunately another election. That’s essentially the only way we can remove the senators and TDs who attended the golf event as otherwise it’s just resignations and apologies. Not sure what we do about Phil Hogan though…
@Michael Garvey: why unfortunately??
Govt made a mess of this one – 145 cases in Kildare Town – 3 in celbridge – but just shut the county – up to now I have followed all guidelines – I don’t agree and won’t follow this one
@Bernard Bennett: quite right too Bernard
@Bernard Bennett: I’m sure you’re not alone in thinking that
@Bernard Bennett: 3 in Celbridge since April
There’s no restrictions in Kildare just ask big Phil Hogan – he’ll tell you
Awful to think that the actions of those from whom we expect so much more have tainted the huge efforts being made by the majority, unfortunately most people are totally beleaguered and this is possibly the cherry on the cake, let’s just bear in mind what we are doing we are doing for ourselves and for those that matter to us, we’re not following guidelines for the government we are doing it because right now it’s the correct thing to do…
@Kate Flaherty: Kate, open your eyes. Flatten the curve was done.
No endemic disease has been eradicated without a vaccine or international will and we have neither.
Enough lying to ourselves and each other.
well the politicians have basically said they believe the virus is not real by their actions so dont moan when people go out and ignore guidlines
just put golf clubs in the boot and do what you want especially if you are ex senator living in kildare.
*Gemma Collins voice* Nah, get that fire exit door, I’m off.
Free kildare
Time to put Dublin into lock down cases getting higher every day
Open the fridges
People don’t care now, Nphet and the shambles of a government are not to be trusted whatsoever under any circumstances, they’ve lost the trust of the majority of the Irish people.
BAHAHAHAHA lockdown what lockdown just ask some of our elected officials (including failed ones too). Restrictions seem to be for the suckers in our society. Personally I will not be following lockdown. Before the judgement brigade jump on the bandwagon- I do socially distance, wash etc. But a lockdown, no never again.
@Stephen Fitzgerald: quite right too Stephen
Lockdown the companies, not the county. Kildare is being penalised for the sins of a few companies. So sad that peoples livelihood is being destroyed and people are losing their businesses and homes as they cant open. Why?
It’s a sad indictment of the country when the establishment has such a disregard for the ordinary people.
Are the schools opening in Kildare?
Probably best to either have a national lockdown again or we all take the hit , sooner we get either herd immunity or target zero cases the better , if we were not in the EU we could stop people flying in and out of the country….. still today many EU citizens flying home for the weekend… wake up Ireland , ffs
What’s happens next week if your kids live in Kildare but go to school outside Kildare?
Made up for Laois. Hard luck Kildare, it should have been Offaly.
@Davis Payne: Go away would you. Pity Laois isn’t still under lock and key.
Why should anyone in Kildare comply with the rules if they can be like Phil Hogan and break lock down and go to big golf parties without any fear of consequences?
What will happen with the opening of schools in Kildare?
Partition walls for sale . Dm me
Partition walls about to sell out
have your say