month but they could be lifted next week. The National Public Health Emergency Team( Nphet) is

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 signifi

The Irish health system will be “ challenged ” in the coming days, as the country nears the peak of the current wave of Covid-19. HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor said on Friday that approximately 12% of healthcare staff are now absent due to Covid-19 across all healthcare services. This is around 14, 000 to 15, 000 staff, she said, adding: “ This is something that us impacting all of our services.” She said that healthcare services across the country are “ doing all they can ”, with s

We are second in Europe, we were leading in Europe for quite some time.“ We got as many of the vulnerable groups vaccinated as possible before this Omicron rocket took off.... The peak has not yet been reached.... Public authorities anticipate that we will reach the peak within the next week or two.”....

Sinn Fein has called for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout for children to take place in schools. Donnchadh O Laoghaire, the education spokesperson for the party, said on Tuesday that children should be given the Covid-19 vaccine in schools. The TD said that this would be a “ logical ” step.It is expected that the vaccine programme for children aged five to 11 will begin fully in January.“ The school is very regularly a location for frequent vaccinations or vaccinations in the regular course of a chi

Health officials say they are concerned over the lag effect between a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and the number of people admitted to hospital with the virus. Health Service Executive( HSE) boss Paul Reid said there are no indications that Ireland is at the peak of the current wave of Covid cases.It comes as the HSE said there is a need for a focus on Covid services for the next two weeks.In a letter to health service managers, Mr Reid said that where there are staff shortages in Covid-related

A man has described his “ miracle ” escape jumping from the third floor of a burning building during a suspected arson attack that left one person dead. The resident, who lives in a block of flats in Grovelands Road, Reading told reporters that he and a firefighter made the desperate leap after becoming trapped in the blaze in the early hours of Wednesday. Walking barefoot with a bandage on one of his feet, he told reporters: “ I was involved in the incident – I live in the flat on the third flo

And Ray Bassett believes the whole episode underlines the “ breathtaking cynicism ” of Mr Varadkar, who is currently Ireland’s Tanaiste or deputy leader as well as being leader of his party, Fine Gael.... Mr Varadkar, known in the UK for his close links with Brussels throughout the Brexit process, has denied any breach of COVID-19 regulations in respect of the outdoor social gathering, held at a hotel in Dublin six days before Ms Zappone was due to be appointed a United Nations Special Envoy-a

Hospitality chiefs have warned that new Covid restrictions will “ decimate ” their trade and lead to job losses in Ireland. The Irish cabinet has agreed that hospitality venues, cinemas and theatres should have a closing time of 8pm from Monday to deal with the threat from the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Christmas was the one chance we had to recoup some of the losses amassed earlier in the year but we’re now in a situation where staff will lose their jobsPaidraig Cribben Padraig Cribben, chief ex