What new Covid-19 restrictions come into effect today?
Will Restaurants, 8pm All Services, Cafes, Takeaway Bars Close And From Today, Delivery Excluding At Or
In a bid to help curb the spread of the new Omicron variant, a number of new Covid-19 restrictions will come into effect from today until January 30.
The measures were agreed by Cabinet on Friday and come into place as the Omicron variant becomes the dominant strain in Ireland with 5,124 cases of Covid-19 confirmed on Sunday.
Following public health advice, from today, all restaurants, bars and cafes, excluding takeaway or delivery services, will close at 8pm.
In addition, no indoor events are to take place after 8pm and for events happening earlier in the day, attendance should be limited to 50% of venue capacity or 1,000 attendees, depending on which is lower.
This includes cinemas but does not impact religious, educational or normal workplace business activity and business events.
Wedding receptions can take place with a capacity limit of 100 guests and continue after 8pm but the midnight closing time still applies.
Everyone should continue to work from home unless necessary.
There are also enhanced measures for those who are deemed to be close contacts.
Those that have not received a booster, including those not fully vaccinated, must restrict movements for 10 days.
Those that have received a booster (effective from one week after receiving the dose) must restrict their movements for five days and take three antigen tests.
Everyone arriving into the country from overseas will be required to have an antigen or PCR test in line with their vaccination or recovery status.
All passengers arriving in Ireland should now be advised to conduct antigen testing on a daily basis for a period of five consecutive days commencing on the day they arrive.
The Government will review the measures on January 30, but if the Omicron wave proves less serious, the Taoiseach has said they could be reviewed sooner.
Addressing the nation on Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said we are still in the early days of this new wave and data is still being collected, but it is already “very clear that we are dealing a hugely transmissible strain”.
“The challenge we face, as a Government and a people, is how we slow the rise in infection that is coming and how we prevent it from getting out of control," he said.