Coronavirus Ireland Live Updates: 90pc of Covid-19 cases have made a full recovery

Follow the latest coronavirus news in Ireland and across the world on the Independent.ie live blog.

22.19 27/05/2020

Holohan 'little bit worried' about rise in ICU admissions

Reports David Young, PA

Health experts are a "little bit worried" about an increase in coronavirus admissions to intensive care, the chief medical officer for Ireland has said.

At the daily Covid-19 briefing, Dr Tony Holohan also stood firm on advising that the current social distancing measure remains at two metres.

Dr Holohan also said he did not favour quickening the pace of Ireland's lockdown exit plan or bringing certain measures forward from later phases.

Those comments came after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dail that some measures may be introduced ahead of schedule if the virus transmission rate remained low.

On Wednesday, it was announced that there had been five new ICU admissions and 15 new general hospital admissions in 24 hours - an increase on recent daily figures.

Dr Holohan said it would not be possible to determine if that was a trend or just a statistical blip, without monitoring figures for a number of days.

"We're going to watch that, we're a little bit worried about that," he told the daily National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) media briefing.

The chief medical officer stressed that the increases were unlikely to be linked to the first easing of lockdown restrictions on May 18, as those admitted recently were likely to have been infected before that date.

Earlier on Wednesday, health minister Simon Harris told the Dail that the reproduction rate of the virus - the number of people an infected person infects - remained low, at between 0.4 and 0.5.

He said that provided grounds for "cautious optimism".

Outdoor visits to nursing homes would be allowed under proposals to ease restrictions

NURSING home residents would be able to see family members outdoors under proposals for easing coronavirus visitor restrictions.

Health Minister Simon Harris said it's one option being considered by the health service ahead of a debate where he again came under pressure over clusters of Covid-19 cases among vulnerable elderly people in long-term care facilities.

Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly said 884 people have lost their lives in nursing homes due to coronavirus, more than half the total number of fatalities.

He raised issues mentioned in correspondence between Nursing Homes Ireland - which represents private operators - and the Department of Health.

21.15 27/05/2020

Senior FF TD urges faster lifting of lockdown saying 'we're going to have to live a certain amount of risk'

Reports Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn

A SENIOR Fianna Fáil TD has urged the government to speed up the lifting of the coronavirus lock-down while raising concern that too much responsibility has been "casually delegated" to public health advisers.

Jim O'Callaghan told the Dáil that restrictions need be lifted "sooner rather than later" and that " we're going to have to live a certain amount of risk."

He asked Communications Minister Richard Bruton to bring that message to Cabinet.

Mr O'Callaghan said he's even more concerned about the lockdown that he was when he spoke in the Dáil three weeks ago.

He said he's "extremely concerned" about its impact on young people, the elderly and people suffering from non-Covid-19 illnesses as well as the economy and people who are financially insecure.

Mr O'Callaghan added: "I'm also concerned that too much responsibility has been casually delegated by government to our public health advisers."

He said the lockdown measures made sense in March but "Now I think we need to recognise that the process of lifting the lockdown provisions needs to be expedited."

He said the number of deaths has fallen significantly and the number of coronavirus cases are down too.

'A cataclysmic scenario' - What really went wrong in our nursing homes as Covid-19 swept through them

Hundreds of pages of correspondence between Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), the body that represents the private and voluntary sector and to the Department of Health (DoH) details what went wrong in nursing homes in the midst of pandemic. Catherine Fegan and Luke Byrne report.

20.03 27/05/2020

Michael Martin: there is 'no scientific basis' to 20km travel rule

Aine McMahon, PA

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has said there is no scientific basis to the 20km rule under the next phase of the Government's roadmap.

Under the current restrictions, people are allowed to travel within 5km of their home unless they are making an essential journey.

Under the next phase of the Government's roadmap to easing restrictions, this is set to be increased to 20km on June 29.

Speaking in the Dail on Wednesday, Mr Martin questioned the scientific basis for such restrictions.

"The 20km rule which is envisaged to replace the 5km rule...I don't see a logic to it and I don't see any scientific basis to it.

"I think we need to deal with it more expeditiously.

"The evidence is that there remains a broad and strong compliance amongst the public when it comes to measures they have been told are essential.

"Eighty percent are staying home and few in urban areas are moving more than five kilometres from their homes."

He also said "there is no remaining serious justification" for the five kilometre limit for people leaving their homes.

As the number of deaths and new cases continue to fall, where are people now picking up coronavirus?

With deaths and new daily cases of Covid-19 going down Health Correspondent Eilish O'Regan asks where people are picking up the coronavirus?

19.15 27/05/2020

Health service to examine easing visitor restrictions at nursing homes

The health service is to examine the issue of easing some visitor restrictions at nursing homes in Ireland, the minister for health has confirmed.

Simon Harris said the HSE is assessing whether they can allow visitors to meet members of their families outside.

However, he warned he did not want to raise any false hope, adding that visiting will not return to normal.

“I do want residents in nursing homes and their families to know that we’re looking at this and we’re hoping to be in a position to make progress,” he told the Dail.

WATCH: HSE chief questions nursing home model of care for older people

Chief Clinical Officer of HSE, Dr Colm Henry, responded to claims by Tadhg Daly that nursing homes were left isolated by the state.

18.30 27/05/2020

Daily briefing at the Department of Health: 90pc of cases have recovered

Reports Gabija Gataveckaite

90pc of coronavirus cases in Ireland have made a full recovery, according to Chief Medical officer (CMO) Tony Holohan.

As of Sunday, 20,102 had recovered in the community. 987 had been discharged alive from hospitals. The recovery rate among healthcare workers is 93pc.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, as of midnight, Monday 25 May (24,730 cases), reveals:

• 57pc are female and 43pc are male
• the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
• 3,251 cases (13pc) have been hospitalised
• Of those hospitalised, 399 cases have been admitted to ICU
• 7,891 cases are associated with healthcare workers
• Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,961 (48pc of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,451 cases (6pc) and then Kildare with 1,408 cases (6pc)
• Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 40pc, close contact accounts for 58pc, travel abroad accounts for 2pc

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “To date, 90pc of confirmed cases diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered. But we cannot afford to stop the hard work involved in suppressing this virus."

17.43 27/05/2020

A further 17 deaths in relation to the coronavirus have been announced in Ireland.

This brings the total death tally to 1,631.

73 new cases have also emerged, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 24,803.

16.38 27/05/2020

Coronavirus testing regime set to cost as much as €450m

Reports Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn

THE cost of the coronavirus testing could be as high as €450m, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil.

The issue was raised by Independent TD Michael McNamara who chairs the Dáil's Covid-19 committee.

Last week HSE boss Paul Reid said the cost of testing and contact tracing will run into hundreds of millions based on the volume of testing in the coming year.

Mr McNamara asked the Taoiseach for an update on the matter.

Mr Varadkar said: "The last time I was briefed on this which was a week or two ago the estimate of the cost of testing for Covid will be somewhere between €400 million and €450 million and that is because the test costs about €200 a go, which is a lot of money."

Mr McNamara said it's a "huge amount of money " as he claimed that "a viral swab test typically costs about €25-a-test".

Over 350,000 people have been killed by the virus worldwide

Associated Press

Coronavirus has infected almost 5.6 million people across the world and killed more than 350,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

However, some countries are reporting a second spike in cases.

South Korea reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in weeks on Wednesday and India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,000 cases, as the pandemic expanded its grip across much of the globe.

Still, optimism over reopening economies from business shutdowns to fight the virus spurred a rally on Wall Street, even as the official US death toll approached 100,000.

Outbreaks are still climbing in much of the Americas, while many countries in Asia and much of Europe are making steady progress in containing the deadliest pandemic in years.

Cyprus announced on Wednesday that it was preparing to welcome tourists back on June 9 and would cover all costs - lodging, food, drink and medication - for anyone testing positive for the coronavirus, and their family members, while on holiday in the east Mediterranean island nation.

The pledge came in a five-page letter that was sent out to governments, airlines and tour operators outlining strict health and hygiene protocols, including a requirement for Covid-19 testing three days before departure, as the tourism-reliant country seeks to woo travellers.

Dr Tony Holohan says he will not recommend reducing 2m social distancing rule

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan has told Cabinet ministers he does not intend to advise that the 2m social distancing rule be reduced.

After days of debate about reducing the restriction on physical distance, Mr Holohan told ministers it would not be appropriate for him to recommend cutting the 2m rule at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources at the meeting said the Chief Medical Officer rejected suggestions that the distance should be cut as he feared it could lead to a higher risk of the virus spreading in communities.

15.05 27/05/2020

'Severe austerity won't be needed' - State is urged to spend big during recovery

The State's biggest watchdog has warned that the Government will need to spend billions of euro over several years to support the economy but there is no need for a return to austerity, reports David Chance.

Alan Kelly begs Taoiseach to allow larger funerals

THE coronavirus rules limiting attendance at funerals to ten people are "too rigid" and should be changed, the Dáil has been told.

Labour leader Alan Kelly argued that the numbers allowed are too small and pointed out that many families are larger.

He said everyone knows the social distancing rules.

Mr Kelly suggested to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that the number of mourners permitted should be increased to 30 and said: "I beg you to change it".

WATCH: Mayo students perform a rendition of Time to Say Goodbye in a virtual graduation

Sixth year music students from St. Mary's Secondary School, Ballina, decided to celebrate their graduation virtually, performing Time to Say Goodbye to close the ceremony.

"Because it was not possible to have our usual Graduation Ceremony with our Leaving Cert Students and their families, our school thought it was important to mark the occasion in some way for our girls, so we decided to host a 'virtual' Graduation ceremony," the school's music teacher Regina Deacy told Independent.ie.

14:00 27/05/2020

Tesco rolling out Covid-19 automated system to control entry to grocer’s stores

Shawn Pogatchnik

An automated entrance system is being rolled out across Tesco Ireland outlets to manage and limit the flow of customers into its stores.

Tesco said the system has been developed by the Co Kildare unit of retail tech and logistics firm Wanzl.

It says what it calls a “3D body imaging system” uses a camera to sense and count each arriving customer.

12:20 27/05/2020

Kelly says some Covid-19 restrictions 'lack common sense' as he defends Taoiseach's picnic

Reports Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn

LABOUR leader Alan Kelly said some coronavirus restrictions are lacking in common sense as he defended Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's decision to go for a picnic in the Phoenix Park.

He also said that the two metre social distancing rule will have to be reduced to one metre as the country reopen for social, economic and healthcare reasons.

Mr Varadkar's share a with friends days after a senior official in his Department Liz Canavan discouraged people from doing so.

Mr Kelly said: "it's not really a big issue for me to be frank. I really don't care.

"I disagree with him on his politics. I disagree with him on lots of things but he is working very hard.

"I accept that and if everyone doesn't get a break I don't think you can from a mental health point of view continue.

"What he does in his own spare time as long as it's within the requirements we all set down."

Mr Kelly said some of the coronavirus restrictions are lacking in common sense.

He said: "I think common sense needs to be the phrase we all are guided by as we come out with this"

Mr Kelly added: "We're going to have to look at... how we change the roadmap and aspects of it are going to have to be pulled forward."

"There is a time - it may not be yet - but there is a time in the coming days or weeks where we're going to have to change to the one-metre rule because it's just not practical or common sense not to do so."

12:00 27/05/2020

Travel into Ireland plummets below 1pc of normal levels - CSO

Shawn Pogatchnik

Barely 16,000 people entered Ireland by air or sea during the entire month of April - below 1pc the normal flow of travellers.

The Central Statistics Office called it “an unprecedented collapse in overseas travel to and from Ireland”.

Whereas more than 1.7 million travelled here in April 2019, only 12,100 arrived last month into Ireland’s airports nationwide and just 4,000 by ferry.

Three-quarters came from Britain, and just 1,100 from the United States – which in April a year ago disgorged nearly 155,000 people into the State.

The figures were just as barren in the other direction, as just 17,700 people left Ireland last month by sea or air - 99pc lower than in April 2019.

The most popular destinations from Ireland were to Britain (8,800), the Netherlands (2,000) and France (1,400).

Only 500 flew to the US, down from more than 158,000 a year ago.

The report found that not one soul travelled to Ireland from Italy, Spain or Switzerland for the entire month, while about 100 people each made it to Italy and Spain – none to Switzerland. Travel also totally halted in both directions with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.

Today’s report did not compile any arrivals or departures with the UK via the Border.

It also offered no breakdown of travellers in either direction by nationality because, since the March lockdown, CSO enumerators have stopped gathering data on site at airports and ferry terminals.

11:30 27/05/2020

ICare set to buy 23 homes to avoid families being evicted

Charlie Weston

APPROVED housing body iCare has negotiated a multi-million euro loan facility from AIB to allow it to buy more homes from distressed mortgage holders.

The €30m loan from AIB will allow it to purchase another 23 homes and rent them back to the families that live in them, under the State’s mortgage-to-rent scheme.

This will avoid them being evicted.

10:00 27/05/2020

Euro zone bond yields edge down; focus on EU recovery fund

Independent.ie Business Desk

Euro zone government bond yields edged down on Wednesday, easing off from Tuesday's highs, as investors waited for proposals about the EU recovery fund which are due to be presented the European Parliament.

The European Commission will announce a plan to help the EU economy recover from its coronavirus slump with a mix of grants, loans and guarantees exceeding €1tn that raised controversy even before it was announced.

Hopes for a co-ordinated fiscal response to the coronavirus crisis have been boosted since France and Germany made proposals for a €500bn recovery fund.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to present a proposal for the EU recovery fund to the European Parliament later on Wednesday.

09:00 27/05/2020

Ryanair customers could be waiting up to six months for refund

Aoife Walsh

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said it could take up to six months for customers to receive a refund for flights cancelled due to the pandemic.

Mr O'Leary said the airline is working through a three-month backlog of flight cancellations.

"We have about three months of flight cancellations imposed on us by governments, we have a total liability of about €1.2b," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

He added that the airline is "a third of the way through" the backlog, and that €400m has already been refunded through refund vouchers.

He said it is "likely to take anything between three to six months" before all refunds have been issued.

"There's no issue over being refunded their money, they just have to wait some time over the next three to six months," he said.

Ryanair will begin flying to European countries from July 1 and will be requiring passengers to wear face masks.

Regulations legally requiring passengers to fill out a Covid-19 passenger locator form will come into effect tomorrow.

Passengers must provide details of where they are staying and will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

People who fail to fill out the form will be fined €2,500 or face a prison sentence of up to six months.

Mr O'Leary said the measures are "awfully ineffective."

"A quarantine that gets imposed only after you use public transport to get to your destination is not a quarantine, it is simply political gameplay," he said.

Responding to Mr O'Leary's comments, HSE chief clinical officer, Dr Colm Henry denied that the new measures are ineffective and said we should take great care "before we jump in and reverse those significant gains we've made it since March 27."

"At this point in time, we will not be advising people to fly," Dr Henry added.

08:45 27/05/2020

Country’s largest private landlord currently ‘cannot foresee’ Covid impact

Ellie Donnelly

Ires Reit, the country’s largest private landlord, currently “cannot foresee” the impact the coronavirus will have on the company.

Ahead of its AGM today, Declan Moylan, chairman of Ires Reit, said the pandemic has created “significant uncertainty” in every aspect of life.

The company is “confident that the quality of our property portfolio and the strength of our balance sheet provides great resilience during this period,” Mr Moylan said.

08:00 27/05/2020

Virus expands grip in many areas as US nears 100,000 deaths

Associated Press

South Korea reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in weeks on Wednesday and India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,000 cases, as the pandemic expanded its grip across much of the globe.

Still, optimism over reopening economies from business shutdowns to fight the virus spurred a rally on Wall Street, even as the official US death toll approached 100,000.

Outbreaks are still climbing in much of the Americas, while many countries in Asia and much of Europe are making steady progress in containing the deadliest pandemic in a century.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday that there were no Covid-19 patients under treatment in hospitals.

The nation took aggressive and early action to stop transmissions and has reported only 21 deaths. It has 21 active cases out of 1,504 confirmed and probable ones.

07:20 27/05/2020

Hong Kong braced for biggest day of protests over new Chinese laws

Natalie Lung

Hong Kong is bracing itself for what could be its biggest day of protests in months, with pro-democracy groups calling for a general strike against China's latest moves to increase control of the city.

Protests were planned for today near the Legislative Council building in central Hong Kong, where lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on a bill that would criminalise disrespect toward China's national anthem.

They are also fighting against China's plans to impose a national security law which opponents fear will curtail essential freedoms and criticism of the Communist Party.

The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, which represents 145,000 members, has called for a general strike. More than a dozen high school student groups have also issued a joint statement urging peers - newly returned to campuses following months of closures because of the coronavirus - to strike.

07:15 27/05/2020

WHO halts trial of anti-malaria drug over heart and death fears

Tim Elfrink

For months, US President Donald Trump has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a potential Covid-19 treatment.

He has called the anti-malarial drug a "game changer", asked patients "what do you have to lose?" - and even announced he was taking the drug himself in an attempt to ward off the coronavirus.

This week, however, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced it had temporarily halted its global trial of the drug, citing a new study which found a significantly higher risk of death among those taking hydroxychloroquine or the related drug chloroquine.

07:00 27/05/2020

Not a huge amount of evidence either way on one or two-metre social distance, says head of expert group

Eilish O'Regan

There is a lack of evidence for whether the physical distancing rule to protect against the spread of coronavirus should be one or two metres, the chair of the advisory group behind the decision has said.

Dr Cillian de Gascun, head of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, whose group advises on key pandemic measures, said the two-metre distance was introduced in March because coronavirus was "an emerging and dangerous" pathogen at the time.

Opting for two metres was "prudent and cautious", he added.

He was speaking as pressure grows from the hospitality trade and businesses to reduce the two-metre rule to one metre to allow for more customers.