Ireland’s Prime Minister, Micheal Martin announced the introduction of further Covid-19 measures on Friday as the government continues to try to stem the spread of the Omicron variant. The new measures will see changes to hospitality and international travel and will take effect from tomorrow (Monday).
Under the new restrictions, all restaurants, bars, and cafes, excluding takeaway or delivery services, will now close at 8pm, and this will also apply to hotel restaurants and bars, except for overnight residents.
No indoor events, including entertainment, cultural, community, and sporting events, can take place after 8pm, and events happening earlier in the day will be limited to 50% capacity or 1,000 attendees, whichever is the lower.
Wedding receptions can take place with a capacity limit of 100 guests and can continue after 8pm, as the closing time of midnight will still apply.
International travel:
From Monday, all persons arriving into the country from overseas, including the EU (which includes the Canary Islands), will continue to be required to have an antigen or PCR test in line with their vaccination/recovery, or unvaccinated status.
All passengers arriving in Ireland are now advised to conduct antigen testing on a daily basis for a period of five consecutive days commencing on the day of arrival.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, urged people to continue to follow public health advice and to limit their social interactions. He said: “Recent international experience and the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant here means we can expect to see a large number of cases over the next short period of time.”
He added that, “By choosing to act safely right now, together we can limit the impact this disease will have in the weeks to come and in doing so, we can protect the vulnerable, prevent unnecessary deaths and ensure the continued operation of our healthcare system and other essential services."
Restricted movement for all close contacts:
If you are a close contact and have received your booster (effective from 1 week after receiving the dose), you will be asked to restrict your movements for five days with three antigen tests.
Close contacts who have not received a booster (including those not fully vaccinated) will be asked to restrict movements for ten days.
