The number of new travel-related Covid-19 cases is a “grave concern”, Professor Philip Nolan has said.
Professor Nolan, chairman of the Republic of Ireland's NPHET Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group, said people should question whether they need to take a foreign holiday this year due to the risk of a resurgence of the virus.
He tweeted: “New travel-related Covid-19 infections a grave concern. A surge seeded by travel is a risk to public health, to healthcare workers, to the vulnerable in our community. We can protect them by foregoing our holiday abroad. A useful question for any activity: luxury or necessity?”
One more Covid-19 death was confirmed in Ireland on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 1,735.
A further three cases of Covid-19 were confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 25,439.
It comes as chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan warned that the high number of young people among the country’s new cases of Covid-19 marks a “worrying trend”.
Nearly half of the 23 cases confirmed on Saturday were in people under the age of 35 while eight cases were among people aged between 35 and 54.
There were also six further deaths, bringing the death toll to 1,734.
In a statement on Saturday night, Dr Holohan said the number of young people testing positive is “now a real concern and a worrying trend.”
He also warned that some of the newly-confirmed cases had “large numbers of close contacts that have required testing and self-isolation for 14 days”.
