Public behaviour changes amid growing fears of another lockdown
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Fears of another Covid lockdown have sparked a dramatic change in public behaviour, with almost half of people surveyed recently saying they are cancelling pre-Christmas plans.
Amid surging case numbers and lockdowns being imposed across Europe, 57% of Irish people say they will reduce the number of people they meet between now and Christmas, while 45% will scrap plans altogether, new research has revealed.
The data, produced by Amárach and published by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), also shows increased compliance with the Digital Covid Cert, up 10% to 85%.
The reduced social activity spells more trouble for the beleaguered hospitality and retail sectors however, with warnings that there will be no spending splurge over the festive season.
A further 5,634 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed last night — a figure the Chief Medical Officer described as "concerning".
Since June of this year, one in four people who had Covid-19 and required critical care passed away, Dr Tony Holohan said.
"This information is not easy to hear, but it is an important reminder of the serious risk that Covid-19 continues to pose to all of us," he said.
No decisions around extending Covid support for businesses and workers impacted by the latest health measures were made at a meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on economics last night.
"We are not sure what is coming at us, both on Covid and any Nphet recommendations," one senior Government source said.
Nphet is due to meet again on Thursday, with the source adding that there may need to be a "fuller response" to support particular sectors of the economy.
Publicans have warned that any return to lockdown would be devastating to pubs and restaurants, which have already seen many aspects of the traditional Christmas lost due to current health advice.
A spokesperson for the Vintners' Federation of Ireland said: “When pubs reopened indoors in late July, it was understood that we could never return to lockdowns or closure as the primary method of coping with Covid.
"In that context, any return to a form of lockdown would be devastating for the trade, though so much Christmas business is already cancelled that we’re already in a form of closedown."
Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said December is a critical month for hospitality in terms of cash flow for the first quarter of 2022.
He said there has been a large number of Christmas party cancellations in recent days.
The latest KBC Bank Ireland results confirm that consumer confidence had fallen, even before speculation increased in recent days that the fourth wave of Covid cases could lead to another lockdown.
"There is a sense there is no wall of money to be thrown at the Christmas economy," said KBC chief economist Austin Hughes.
"We read these results as suggesting that Christmas 2021 will be ‘careful’ rather than cancelled."
Last Christmas there was something of a spending spree after a "vicious" first year of Covid, he said, but the survey suggests a large number of households face financial hardship that will somewhat dampen spending plans over the festive period.
"We think the emerging fourth wave in Covid cases was an important factor weighing on the mood of Irish consumers of late, as speculation about the reimposition of health-related restrictions became more widespread during the November survey period," said Mr Hughes.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the State stands ready to administer Covid vaccines to primary-school children if European regulators approve it.
However, Mr Martin said it is unlikely children in the five-to-11 age group will get the jab here before Christmas, given the timeline and logistics involved.