More information on Covid-19 cluster at Kildare fast food outlet from Dept of Health press conference

More information has emerged about a cluster of Covid-19 cases at a fast food outlet based in Co Kildare which was reported yesterday.

The acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn had expressed concern at his Monday evening press briefing in the Department of Health at the number of outbreaks in workplace settings including a building site in Dublin city.

He also referred to a 'fast food outlet' in Co Kildare which had seen a 'significant number' of cases, which was reported in the media. 

According to the original 30-minute press conference, when journalists probed him on the issue, Dr Glynn went on to say that this outbreak has been 'managed' and there hasn't been a new case for about a week.

He told the press conference: "There has been a couple of outbreaks in fast food outlets around the country." 

He added: "There was one in particular in Kildare, but that has been managed and we haven't had a case linked to that for a number of days." 

Refusing to be drawn on the number of cases at the Kildare premises due to patient confidentiality, he added: "There was a significant number of cases linked to that. But it is more or less closed off.

"We haven't had a new case associated with that cluster for about a week now." 

 It also emerged on Monday that of the 270 new cases reported in the past two weeks, 10% or 27 were based in Co Kildare. Over half were in Dublin.

As of yesterday, there were no confirmed cases at Naas Hospital but there two suspected cases, according to the HSE's Daily Operations Update.

Dr Glynn, who replaced Dr Tony Holohan earlier this month, also told the Monday press briefing: "We are now seeing outbreaks of the virus in a range of work settings, including in construction, in fast food outlets and in supermarkets.

"We can't underestimate how quickly clusters develop. We have come so far together, but we need to stay vigilant to prevent a resurgence across the whole country in the coming weeks."

His comments come after a building site in Dublin city centre was closed down temporarily after a number of workers tested positive for Covid-19.

Dr Glynn said there had been more than 20 cases associated with the construction site and a number of other workers from the site had been tested and were waiting for results.

He said this was the first significant cluster on a construction site and there was a full outbreak control team in place, but he wanted to use it to remind employers of their need to ramp up their efforts to put the safety of staff and customers first.

 He also said there was a number of outbreaks associated with retail settings, but these often involved small numbers of people and many were managed locally.

"Many workplaces have introduced the new regimes and safety measures necessary to reopen their businesses," said Dr Glynn.

"I would remind all employers that the workplace and most particularly, shops, services and supermarkets, are the new frontline, we are asking you to do everything you can to put the safety of your staff and customers first.

"With the increase in outbreaks in our communities, I would urge everyone to wear face coverings in healthcare settings and when shopping, including in the supermarket and other indoor retail services," added Dr Glynn.

Dr Glynn said: "This is an extremely infectious disease and it does not take much at all for this to spread."

He said when businesses reopened a few weeks ago, they went to great lengths to ensure their employees and customers were protected and it is understandable if that compliance has dropped off over time, but now is the time to ramp up those measures again.

The department said that of the 270 cases had been confirmed in the Republic over the past two weeks, 43% of these cases were male with 57% female.