Pubs and restaurants in Ireland will have to close at 8pm under new Covid restrictions designed to tackle “a massive rise in infections” linked to the Omicron variant.
The Dublin government rejected calls from health experts to bring in an earlier closing time of 5pm for hospitality venues.
Introducing the new measures, which will come into force on Sunday and last until 30 January, Micheal Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, warned that, “left unchecked this new strain will represent a very significant threat to hospitals and critical care, but also a threat to all of society and the economy”.
He said: “It spreads so aggressively throughout all age groups that we are likely to see infections at a rate that is far in excess of anything we've seen to date.”
Ministers met on Friday evening to discuss recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), which is chaired by the country’s chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan.
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Nphet had recommended a 5pm curfew on hospitality and a cap on capacity at large outdoor events of 50 per cent, or 5,000 people.
While that was rejected, Dr Holohan told a briefing of journalists that the Cabinet's decision to close hospitality from 8pm was “a welcome acceptance of the intention of our advice”.
He added: “The key thing was to drive down, as much as possible, social contact. Contact is going to be a good deal greater in the evening time.”
Under Nphet's worst case model, Ireland could witness up to 20,000 cases a day with 2,000 people in hospital by early January, and the Omicron variant now makes up more than a third (35 per cent) of Covid cases in the country.
Nphet member Dr Cillian De Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said: ”It would be great news if it turned out to be less severe, but its growth advantage remains a serious concern.
“It would have to be far, far less severe than Delta for it not to overwhelm our health service.”
The announcement follows a day after Wales said nightclubs would have to close after Christmas.
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced a mixture of advice for the festive period alongside new regulations to follow as part of a “two-phase plan”.
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Nightclubs will be closed from 27 December under the new rules, although the Welsh government has announced a ￡60m fund to support any businesses affected by the restrictions.
From the same date, two-metre social distancing will be mandatory in offices, and measures including one-way systems and physical barriers will be introduced in businesses to protect customers and staff.