There has been a call to reintroduce public health measures with more than 40,000 cases of Covid reported across Ireland over the weekend.
The Emergency Department Taskforce made the call after a meeting last night.
They said the situation in Irish hospitals is now “chaotic.”
The taskforce includes representatives of hospital groups, the Department of Health, patient advocates, staff bodies and the HSE.
It requested the reintroduction of public health measures in a letter sent to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan.
The request includes the reintroduction of compulsory mask wearing.
It comes after the HSE’s chief warned no modelling is showing current numbers following “a downward trend”.
HSE director general Paul Reid on Monday said the high level of cases in the country made it “feel like we’re entering rather than leaving something.”
Mr Reid repeated a call for the 720,000 people now eligible for their booster vaccine to get it as 35 per cent of Covid-19 patients in hospitals have not been vaccinated and 50 per cent in ICU have not received their booster.
