Ireland: Closes bars and restaurants at 8 p.m.

The Irish government today ordered bars and restaurants to close at 8pm and reduced the number of attendees to all public events, in a bid to limit the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Prime Minister of Ireland Michael Martin said that the measures, which will start on Sunday, lasting 6 weeks, are necessary because Omicron is likely to carry a level of infection “much higher than what we have seen so far”.

Martin stressed that the variant spreads “aggressively” to all age groups.

“The need to slow down the spread of Omicron and get more people to take the booster dose is clear,” he said.

“There has to be a very large and immediate reduction in human contact in order to prevent Omicron from overwhelming us,” Martin said in a televised address.

Covid-19 cases in Ireland have dropped in recent days, but the government has said it expects an increase in infections as the Omicron variant spreads.

Omicron accounted for 35% of cases in Ireland today, up from 14% on Tuesday, according to health officials.

90% of adults in Ireland have been vaccinated and about one third of them have also received a booster dose.

The measures, announced today, are being met despite opposition from the hospital industry and a number of lawmakers in the ruling coalition, who say the move will encourage less safe gatherings at home.

Under the new rules, participation in indoor events will be limited to 50% of the room capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is lower. More than 5,000 people will not be able to attend the outdoor events.

Anyone coming to the country will be required to provide either an antigen test or a PCR test, depending on whether or not they have been vaccinated.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ