Government seeking to avoid ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown as ICU crisis looms
Officials already exploring alternatives to December lockdown, with priority being to keep retail open in run-up to Christmas
The government is anxiously seeking to avoid a “circuit-breaker” lockdown in the run up to Christmas, as pessimistic projections of Covid-19 cases from public health officials forecast an unprecedented crisis for Irish hospitals in the weeks ahead.
Several government sources said the avoidance of a lockdown scenario was a high priority, but that if cases continued to spike, new restrictions would be needed and a full lockdown could not be ruled out.
Government officials are ...