There have been 1,631 further cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland this afternoon by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
The Department of Health says there are now 503 people in hospital, with 101 of those in ICU.
It comes as Minister Eamon Ryan has given a positive update ahead of the Christmas season as concerns were beginning to rise among the public of an imminent lockdown as cases number remain high.
Hospital admissions have been increasing alongside the number of people needing specialised care in the ICU due to severe effects of the virus.
In light of these rises, the government had been remaining fairly quiet around the idea of a Christmas lockdown, or even additional measures to keep case numbers down.
Amendments were made to the original October 22 plan in order to halt any more rapid spread of the virus, and it seems officials don’t plan on backtracking on the easing anytime soon.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Ryan suggested that at this point there is no talk of new restrictions and that instead, personal responsibility will be the route taken to manage the virus.
“I don’t believe there will be, we discussed that last night and neither Tony Holohan or anyone else in the room felt that that would be the appropriate response," he explained.
“We do have to be careful and keep our distance and follow the basic hygiene rules and as well as personal responsibilities, I think sectors have responsibility, so you know, if you’re organising an event, just do it in a way that keeps people distanced.
“It’s not to say no to things or stop, it’s just to be cognisant that the virus is out there at scale and for all of our interests it’s best to put simple measures in place but I don’t think it will be a return on restrictions.”
