The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 1,432* confirmed cases of Covid-19.
As of 8am today, 272 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 63 are in ICU.
There has been a total of 5,209 deaths related to Covid-19 notified in Ireland. This includes 30 deaths newly notified in the past week (since last Wednesday).
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health said:
‘We have been closely monitoring the incidence of COVID-19 and we are reassured that that the reopening of schools has not led to an increase in transmission of Covid-19 amongst school-going children or more widely across the population. This is good news for students, parents and all those involved in the education of our children. As always, we will keep disease transmission in the population under review, but given the importance of education for our children we feel that now is the right time to evolve our approach to the public health management of Covid-19 in educational settings.
‘From Monday 27 September, we will change how we manage Covid-19 in our schools. Contact tracing of close contacts in childcare facilities and primary education and testing of asymptomatic close contacts in childcare facilities and primary education will no longer be necessary.
‘Children aged 12 yrs or under, who are identified as close contacts in childcare, educational settings, special education settings or other non-household settings and who are asymptomatic will no longer be required to routinely restrict movements.
‘Given the substantially higher risk of transmission in households as compared to any other setting, children aged 12 yrs or under, who are identified as household close contacts, will still be required to restrict movements and be tested, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.
‘Public health advice remains that any person, including children aged 12 yrs or under who displays symptoms consistent with Covid-19 should rapidly self-isolate and not attend school or to socialise until 48 hours after they are symptom-free.’
Daily case numbers may change due to future data validation.
