Return of schools should not mean a return to play dates - acting CMO

Parents have been warned that the return of schools from Monday, should not mean a return to play dates and congregation.

The acting chief medical officer, Ronan Glynn said: "Our priority is to ensure a safe return to schools for students, their families and school staff, which is why we have recommended a phased return to in-school learning.

"In making this recommendation, NPHET’s most significant concern is that it will be taken as a signal by parents and wider society that other forms of household mixing, and mobility are now acceptable.

"We cannot afford for this to happen at this time. Despite the progress we have made, COVID-19 is still circulating at high levels in our communities. We must do all we can individually and collectively to ensure that the reopening of schools results in the minimum possible upward pressure on the reproduction number.

His comments came as a further  776 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening, 57 of them in Meath.

Another 29 people, aged between 29 and 95, were confirmed to have died. 17 of these deaths occurred in February and 12 happened in January.

The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 4,300, and the total number of confirmed cases is now at 218,251.

As of 23rd February, 373,280 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland. A total of 238,841 people have received their first dose and 134,439 people have received their second dose.

Of the cases notified today:

394 are men and 379 are women

67% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 34 years old

278 cases are in Dublin, 69 are in Galway, 57 are in Meath, 52 are in Kildare, 48 are in Donegal and the remaining 272 cases are spread across all other counties.

As of 8am today, 574 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 136 are in ICU. There has been 24 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.