A public health expert says Ireland needs to move to an explicit strategy to eliminate the coronavirus.
It comes after 200 new cases of the coronavirus were reported here yesterday - the largest number of cases in a single day since the beginning of May.
Professor Ivan Perry is the dean of public health in the School of Public Health at UCC.
He's also a member of the Zero Covid Island Group, that wants tougher measures to get on top of the virus.
He says: "It's clear even from what we're seeing within the last two weeks, we would have expected during the weeks of August to have a relatively low number of cases.
"But of course as we've seen there's already signs of a significant surge with 200 new cases yesterday.
"And as we move into the autumn and the winter, it is going to be much harder to sustain the current policy of containing the virus."
"That's why the Zero COVID Island Group are pushing for an explicit strategy that we seek to eliminate the virus".
"It's clear that [with] the policy of containment, we're always going to be a week or 10 days behind the virus.
"So I suppose what we're suggesting, and no one can be absolutely certain what is the right thing to do here, and we have acknowledge the tremendous leadership of the Government and NPHET.
"So really what we're suggesting is a change in strategy - and there are three core elements there."
This would see intensifying efforts in testing and tracing, as well as a stricter lockdown for a shorter period of time.
On a similar approach taken by New Zealand, Prof Perry adds: "New Zealand was COVID free for over 100 days, life had returned to normal with normal social gatherings - rugby matches and so on.
"They've had an outbreak now in Auckland, but they will get on top of that outbreak and are highly likely to be COVID free within the next few weeks".
