Ireland to Lift Most Covid Restrictions Including Social Distancing in Public Venues

Public health measures regarding international travel including the requirement of a valid EU Digital Covid will also remain unchanged.

Dublin: Ireland will scrap most of its Covid-19 restrictions starting from Saturday following a drop in the number of new cases, the government announced. Starting from 6 a.m. on Saturday, there will be no social distancing requirements in public venues, no restrictions on the number of people attending indoor and outdoor events, no limits on household gatherings, and no domestic requirements of a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate for access to various premises, reports Xinhua news agency.

Businesses in the hospitality sector such as restaurants and bars will no longer need to be closed before 8 p.m. and nightclubs can reopen, the government said, adding that people can also return to work in the office on a phased basis starting from Monday.

But a limited number of public health measures will remain in place until the end of February, which includes the mandatory wearing of face masks on public transport and in public indoor settings and adherence to current protective measures in schools and early learning and care facilities, it added.

Public health measures regarding international travel including the requirement of a valid EU Digital Covid will also remain unchanged, the statement said. The decision of the Irish government came at a time when Ireland saw a notable decline in its Covid-19 infections in the past week or so.

On January 17, Ireland’s daily Covid-19 cases dropped below 10,000 for the first time in more than three weeks and have since remained below that level for the last five consecutive days. High uptake of Covid-19 vaccines and booster doses are the other factors that have shored up confidence in easing the restrictions.

Till date, more than 7.61 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in Ireland and over 3.85 million people in the country are fully vaccinated, accounting for about 77 per cent of the total population. Besides, over 2.62 million people in Ireland have received a booster dose.