The lockdown is set to be extended until March 5th when the cabinet meets this morning.
The cabinet sub-committee on Covid has also agreed to tighten the restrictions on international travel while considering further NPHET advice.
It’s expected all current restrictions will stay in place for six weeks, including on construction.
The re-opening of special education and the wider school system was left more open-ended as negotiations between the Department and unions continue.
The cabinet sub-committee also approved mandatory two week quarantining for anyone arriving into the country without a negative PCR test.
Fines of €2,500 or a six-month prison sentence could also apply.
The same rules will apply for anyone coming from Brazil or South Africa.
Passengers will have to quarantine at state-chosen hotels – but will be able to leave if they get a negative PCR test after 5 days.
Mandatory self-isolation for all passengers will become a legal requirement, with spot checks and fines by gardaí.
There will be increased garda presence near ports and airports to question people as to whether their trips are essential, and they will be able to hand out increased fines.
The measures are all expected to be approved by cabinet this morning, but may take some time to implement.
Hospitals
12 public hospitals have no critical care capacity.
These include St Luke’s General for Carlow & Kilkenny where four people are being treated in ICU, among 27 patients with the virus at the hospital after three new admissions.
While University Hospital Waterford has the highest number of Coronavirus patients in the country at 125, six of whom are in intensive care.
There’s no further suspected cases at either however both are among the 12 facilities where there are no available critical care beds, also on that list are neighbouring county hospitals in Wexford, Portlaoise, South Tipperary and Naas.
Meanwhile, there are 12 general beds available at UHW but none in St Luke’s.
Latest figures from the HSE show there are 1,803 people with the virus on wards.
Seven further deaths linked to the virus were confirmed last night, while 1,372 new cases were detected, 14 in Kilkenny with nine in Carlow.
The national 14-day incidence rate has fallen to 766 – the lowest it’s been since January 4.
Carlow is still however in the country’s top five counties for the higher rates, its currently stands at 978.4 while Kilkenny’s in the lower ten with a rate of 443.4.
PUP
There’s more than 18,000 locals across Carlow and Kilkenny on the PUP or the pandemic Illness benefit.
The numbers getting the pandemic Unemployment Payment is now at 13,683.
In Kilkenny it’s up 1,407 on last week while in Carlow it’s only up 36.
There’s 4,523 locals getting the enhanced Illness benefit – up 516 in KIlkenny and only 24 in Carlow.
It emerged yesterday that over 40% of the entire workforce in Carlow is either on the PUP or other social welfare.
Kilkenny’s not been hit as hard by the pandemic with less that 30% of the labour force on state income supports
