Ireland is heading into "an age-related apartheid approach" to COVID-19.
That is according to Dr Gabriel Scally, professor of public health at the University of Bristol in the UK.
It comes as older people have been asked to limit their social interactions, as part of updated public health recommendations as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
The number of people that can gather in a private house has also been curtailed.
Prof Scally told Pat Kenny: "Everyone knows cases have gone up, not enormously but they are moving in the wrong direction quite steadily now.
"And something's got to be done.
"What is notable about the cases is that they are predominantly in younger people.
"And I think older people are already doing their bit: they're observing social distancing, they're wearing their face masks, they're keeping themselves to themselves.
"They're trying their best to dodge this deadly virus.
"So I'm not sure what further restrictions on older people - what the gain might be.
"But I can see how a reduction of house parties, stopping house parties would be valuable.
"But I do have a kind of a worry that we're heading into some sort of an age-related apartheid approach to COVID-19.
"And I'm not sure what the startegy is, so I'd love to see what the Government strategy is.
"I've seen a strategy for loosening lockdown and removing restrictions, but I haven't actually seen a strategy for dealing with the virus and... what the prediction is that it's going to be like for the next six to nine months, and what the Government regards as an acceptable level or an unacceptable level".
"Individual measures may make a difference, but let's get the strategy right and at the core of that has to be the testing."
"Testing is absolutely crucial and seeing those times drift out to four days is really unacceptable at this stage of this terrible virus.
"We should be getting them down much closer to 24 hours, and very good local availability of testing".
He also said better tests are coming down the line.
"There are new tests coming forward: saliva-based tests which are far less intrusive and far, far quicker.
"But it all comes back to getting the system right.
"It's all about finding the cases, testing, contact tracing, isolating and supporting people and intervention right across that.
"Reminding people what the symptoms are, getting them to isolate as soon as they have the symptoms - or any one of the symptoms - seeking the testing, staying by themselves until they're tested and if it's positive then isolating themselves and their contacts and getting their contacts tested.
"But supporting people as well: I hear too many reports of people developing symptoms and are not going for testing cause they're worried about having to lose income for a couple of weeks while they're isolated.
"We really shouldn't be penalising people and there should be mechanisms in place to support people".
