Irish COVID-19 cases may be plateauing at high level -health chiefs

However he expressed concerns about workplace outbreaks. "We do think we're seeing a genuine increase in transmission due to an entirely understandable tendency people have simply to forget the basic measures. We have to watch this very carefully for the next week to 10 days," Nolan told a news conference.

Irish public health chiefs are concerned the incidence of COVID-19 may be plateauing at levels as high as the peak of the previous wave in October, the country's COVID-19 modelling chief said on Monday.

Philip Nolan said health officials did not entirely know why a sharp fall in cases during five weeks of lockdown was slowing as there was no evidence of people increasing their contacts. However he expressed concerns about workplace outbreaks. "We do think we're seeing a genuine increase in transmission due to an entirely understandable tendency people have simply to forget the basic measures. We have to watch this very carefully for the next week to 10 days," Nolan told a news conference.