Coronavirus: in Ireland, the rate of contamination exceeds that of the United Kingdom

Text by: Emeline Vin

3 min

Ireland has just turned a corner in the pandemic. Its rate of contamination per 100,000 inhabitants has just exceeded that of the United Kingdom, which it has considered since March as a poor student in the fight against the disease.

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From our correspondent in Dublin,

Not to mention a second wave, the contamination rate tripled in the space of two weeks. At the end of July, there were around 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest rates in Europe. Today it stands at 17.9, compared to 17.1 in the UK , according to figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which are smoothed over a 14-day period to stick to the reality of the virus.

Like England in July, Ireland had to reimpose partial containment in three counties which concentrate the cases. The death rate and the number of hospitalizations remain much lower than in March, April and May. The European Center for Disease Control, however, calls on Dublin for more restrictions. No more tests, no more masks, no more distancing , otherwise the resurgence of the virus would become really problematic.

Rivalry with the United Kingdom

Rivalry with the UK is a national sport in Ireland. The country has fared well from the first phase of the pandemic, despite an underfunded and already under pressure health system. While next door in the United Kingdom, the number of sick and victims exploded.

In mid-July, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin called Britain "problematic" and cordially urged the British not to come to Ireland so as not to re-import the virus. When London reinstated confinement in certain cities, an editorial writer for a major daily found the measure irrelevant in a country where national solidarity is as present as in Ireland.

Three weeks later, Ireland still had to resort to localized re-containments .

►Also listen: The post-Covid-19 world: will the crisis force Europe to reinvent itself?

The failure of deconfinement in Ireland?

The resurgence of cases is seen all over Europe. She was expected after the lifting of social restrictions. But the medical team considers that the government has fallen behind on certain measures. For example, wearing a mask in closed places only became legally compulsory on Monday, August 10.

This increase in cases is casting doubt on Irish travel policy. Three weeks ago, Dublin loudly published a green list of countries with rates of contamination similar to here. Travelers arriving from these countries were therefore not obliged to quarantine like the rest of the passengers since they did not represent a threat.

The list has even been reduced since. It must be revised this weekend, if the logic is maintained. It should now include 14 countries, including Germany and, therefore, the “  problematic  ” United Kingdom.

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• Ireland
• Coronavirus
• Health and medicine
• United Kingdom

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