The "chaotic" situation in Irish hospitals has been cited as positive Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
The Emergency Department Taskforce for the Health Service Executive of Ireland (HSE) is seeking to reintroduce certain public health measures amidst the current wave of positive Covid-19 cases.
Close to 40,000 new cases of the virus have been reported in the past three days, arising from self-administered antigen kits and PCR testing.
Health experts have warned that the actual number of positive cases in Ireland at the moment is likely significantly higher due to under-reporting.
Speaking on the
Brendan O'Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday, Professor Cliona Ní Cheallaigh said that it is "Covid soup out there" amongst the general population.
The HSE taskforce met on Monday afternoon, with a "chaotic" hospital situation high on the agenda.
According to
RTÉ News, the taskforce will formally request a return to public health measures via a letter issued on Monday evening.
The letter will be directed to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and
outgoing Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan, who have been asked to respond promptly.
It is unclear precisely what public health measures are being put forward, though the reintroduction of mandatory mask-wearing has been a wide subject of conversation in recent days.
Healthcare professionals
continue to argue in favour of the practice, while Government officials including Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have
remained firm on mask-wearing as a
voluntary measure.
"There is general concern now about the effect this latest surge of Covid is having," Phil Ni Sheaghdha, General Secretary of the Irish Nurse and Midwives Organisation, told RTÉ News.
"The ICU numbers aren’t increasing but we have a high incidence of admission that the hospitals simply can’t cope with and that requires public health measures, to ensure that those who are so sick, that are being admitted, can actually get treatment."
Pointing to the "huge stress" on the healthcare system, HSE CEO Paul Reid has once again called on the public to play its part amidst the latest Covid wave.
"We need to turn this tide again ASAP and repeat doing the basics," said Reid on Monday.
"Please wear your mask appropriately, come forward for your booster or primary vaccine and isolate if [you present] symptoms."
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