THERE are growing fears that Ireland could be plunged back into lockdown after Christmas if Covid-19 cases surge beyond expectation.
Irish health experts have been alerted to the 'new strain' of coronavirus following a recent rise in cases in the UK.
It's understood that the new strain is just as deadly as the current strain, but because fewer people have immunity to the latest strain, it can theoretically spread faster.
While the expectation is that Covid-19 cases will rise in Ireland over the festive period as families meet up to celebrate the holidays, there are concerns that the new strain of the virus could lead to a much larger surge than anticipated - particularly with many people travelling from the UK back to Ireland in the coming days.
If cases surge to such a degree, then Ireland may be forced to raise restrictions, possibly even back up to Level Five, in order to combat it.
On Tuesday, Ireland's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that it was "too early" to say if the new strain of Covid-19 was in Ireland, but insisted that he didn't want to give any "false confidence" to the public.
Meanwhile, Dr Tony Holohan, Ireland's Chief Medical Officer, suggested that all non-essential travel in and out of Ireland to the UK should be postponed for the time being.
