Austria has imposed a lockdown on those who are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled out the possibility of a lockdown for those who are unvaccinated, RTÉ reports.
The Fianna Fáil leader was attending an event in Navan on Monday and pointed to Austria, where unvaccinated citizens are subject to a lockdown.
Those who have yet to receive their vaccine are only allowed leave their homes for limited reasons.
While he said he would look “with interest” at Austria’s strategy, the Taoiseach indicated that Ireland will not follow a similar route.
This is down to the high vaccination uptake in Ireland. With 93% of Irish adults being double-vaccinated, the country has one of the highest rates of vaccination in Europe.
Austria, meanwhile, has a much lower vaccine uptake rate at just 65%.
Martin acknowledged that the situation with Covid-19 cases in Ireland is “serious”, but reiterated that, due to vaccination, Ireland is in a different position compared to 2020.
He also added that the rollout of the booster vaccine programme is showing “promising” results.
Martin was speaking ahead of a Cabinet Covid Committee meeting where leaders will discuss recommendations regarding reducing infections with the Ministers for Health, Finance and Public Expenditure.
NPHET has recommended extending the use of Covid-19 certs in public life.
The Taoiseach has said that three main factors will play a role in containing the virus. They are; vaccine boosters, antigen testing and individual behaviour.
Last week, Martin ruled out the possibility of a Christmas lockdown.
Speaking on the Dermot and Dave Show on TodayFM, he said:
“I don’t see a dramatic going back or returning to where we were but because of socialisation, because we have reopened society, with the Delta variant that has resulted in very high case numbers and that is worrying.”
On Sunday, however, the Taoiseach noted that “nothing can be ruled out” as cases continue to rise day by day.
On Monday evening, the Department of Health confirmed 4,570 new cases of the virus.
622 people are currently in hospital in relation to Covid-19, of which 117 are in ICU.
The @hpscireland has today been notified of 4,570* confirmed cases of #COVID19.
As of 8am today, 622 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 117 are in ICU.
*Daily case numbers may change due to future data validation
— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) November 15, 2021
Featured Image via Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
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