At least six cases of Covid-19 associated with international travel were identified in Ireland this week.
At this morning's Government briefing on the pandemic, the Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach said now is not the time for complacency.
Liz Canavan said the advice to avoid all non-essential travel abroad remains.
Senior public health officials, including Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, have strongly urged those considering undertaking non-essential overseas travel not to do so.
Ms Canavan added that it is important to remember that early cases of the virus were associated with international travel and the risk now is a new imported case spreading in the community.
Ms Canavan said the Government understands that the issue of foreign travel is causing uncertainty, but it is committed to finalising its road map on safe international travel soon.
Ms Canavan said we have come a long way and "we do not want to go back".
"Complacency is our biggest enemy now," says Liz Canavan, Department of the Taoiseach during Govt briefing on Covid-19 pandemic pic.twitter.com/N7vIgzVyMf
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 1, 2020
She said while the further easing of restrictions under Phase 3 means that more people are moving around, which is a great relief to those wanting to reunite with family and friends, failure to following public health guidance increases the risk of the virus spreading.
She said Covid-19 has not changed and there have been some worrying trends, including an increased number of cases among young people.
Liz Canavan: "Covid-19 has not changed, it's the same infectious disease it was at the beginning of all of this ... It is still the disease that is most dangerous for older people and those of any age with underlying health conditions." pic.twitter.com/vF07mP4K5W
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 1, 2020
Ms Canavan said a recent CSO study, which found 60% of people said they were very compliant with guidelines compared to 80% in April, is a concern.
For Covid-19, the World Health Organization says that data to date suggests that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic; 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical, requiring ventilation.
A GP has appealed to people to report Covid-19 symptoms to their doctor as soon as possible and for their family members to self-isolate, after a patient with classic symptoms for the past two days contacted his clinic.
Dr Shane Corr, who is based in Co Monaghan, said he was concerned by the delay in the patient reporting the symptoms and that two family members had gone to work when they too could be in the early stages of infection.
Dr Corr said that unless close contacts of suspected cases stay at home there is a chance the infection will spread.
He said most test results come back within 24 hours.
