An immunologist has suggested that Ireland "delays Christmas until the end of January and has a real Christmas and a real party then.”
Speaking to
Newstalk Breakfast today, Dr. Tomás Ryan, Associate Professor at the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity, warned that Ireland could go back to having 1,000 Covid-19 cases a day in January if Level 5 restrictions are lifted on December 1 as planned.
With cases decreasing in recent weeks, Dr. Ryan wants Ireland to get into a similar situation to Australia, "which would mean Level 1 or Level 0 restrictions by January, if we get rid of this now". He added that "One way of doing this would be to delay Christmas until the end of January and have a real Christmas and a real party then.”
Dr. Ryan said: "Even if we get down to 100 cases a day on December 1, it seems to me it would be much more profitable and pleasant for everyone in Ireland if we got cases down to single figures or to zero and then kept them there so that we could open up and stay open for as long as possible. I think we can return to a normality that is quite like life right now in most of Australia by early January, which would mean Level 1 or Level 0 restrictions by January, if we get rid of this now.
"Extending Level 5 restrictions would be in everyone’s best interests. I don’t think we have been communicated reasonable expectations from the Government on what our Christmas is going to be like," Dr. Ryan said.
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