Another lockdown can't be ruled out, says Varadkar

(Above) Tánaiste Leo Varadkar with Minister of State Peter Burke.

A return to lockdown cannot be ruled out but “it is in our hands”, according to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

Speaking during a visit to Mullingar yesterday, the Fine Gael leader said that while “nobody can rule it [another lockdown] out”, the government believes that it can be avoided.

“...We do believe we can avoid it because of the vaccination programme - 2,000/3,000 cases a day doesn’t mean what it meant last year or last winter”.

“The question is to what extent does that translate into hospitalisations, ICU numbers and deaths.

“Thankfully the number of deaths - while deaths are happening and every death is a tragedy - are a fraction of what they would have been previously because of the vaccines.

“And ICU numbers are now about a hundred, hospital numbers about 500.

“Our projections are that we could see the numbers in hospital increase to maybe 800 - but bear in mind there are more than 800 extra beds in the system than there were before the pandemic - and ICU numbers may be going to 150, a bit higher.

“If we can keep it in that space then I don’t think it will be necessary to re-impose restrictions.

“But if it started to go well ahead of those kind of numbers then we would started to get more worried,” he said after a visit to Robotics and Drives on Thursday afternoon with Minister of State Peter Burke.

Deputy Varadkar added that the public can ensure that the country does not have to endure another lockdown by adhering to public health guidelines.

“It is in our hands and we can all do a lot to make sure that we avoid any risk of re-imposing restrictions and that means getting vaccinated if you haven’t already, getting the booster shot, once it’s offered to you.

“Really important that people do stay at home if they develop symptoms get a PCR test.

“If you don’t have symptoms and you’re going to get involved in an event of an activity consider an antigen self-test that can help to pick up cases that wouldn’t otherwise be picked up.

“And then obviously people will know the advice around masks and handwashing and all of that.”

He added: “It doesn’t take an awful lot to turn the tide on this and just those five or six things if we all do it if 90 per cent of us do them 90 per cent of the time...”.