The Department of Public Health Mid-West is encouraging all students to follow the public health guidelines in order to protect yourself and each other as there is still evidence of continued transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
We encourage you to avoid visiting other households or individuals outside your household and social bubble.
Social bubbles are measures to connect households where there is a risk of social isolation, and should not be used to encourage social gatherings. For example, if you live alone, it is okay to form a social/support bubble with another household. However, that should be the extent of your social network. If other people enter this bubble, everyone is at an increased risk of infection.
Also for example, if you live in a household of three people, this should be the extent of your social contacts.
Since the B117 UK variant has become the dominant strain in Ireland, single cases are escalating quickly to whole households being infected and then quickly spreading to others.
Students have a unique level of risk as they live in large households, travel to and from their family homes, and may have a part-time job. We advise that you don’t travel home unless it is absolutely essential. Because many young people will show no symptoms of infection, the level of risk multiplies when they breach their social bubble or socialise with others outside their household.
Public Health Mid-West is seeing similar patterns of inter-household and family outbreaks in housing estates and communities across Limerick and in the Mid-West, and this is due to increased levels of social mixing. This is why it is important to keep social contacts within your household or social bubble.
At some stage, you may be contacted by a member of a contact tracing team in order to establish your close contacts and your activities that may have led to your exposure to COVID-19. This is a normal and confidential process that can help prevent the spread of infection and further outbreaks in your community. We encourage you to be open and honest with contact tracers, so they can help prevent the possible spread of infection.
We acknowledge that this is an extremely challenging time for all students, but you can now play a vital role in suppressing COVID-19 in your community, protecting loved ones, and saving lives. Please avoid all household visits or social gatherings of any kind, continue to wear your mask, wash your hands frequently, and keep a distance of at least two metres apart when you are in public.
Read more aboout COVID-19 and how to protect yourself.