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The government has been criticized for the lack of clarity on what pandemic restrictions will apply at Christmas.
Professor Philip Nolan, a prominent member of the NPHET public health advisory team, warned Sunday that strict limits will be needed on holiday gatherings.
Deputy Minister Robert Troy did not provide any clarity when asked about the comments, saying the situation would remain “under review.”
He said, “Honestly, I can’t say here today, in terms of what will happen at Christmas.
“Just to say that the Government with NPHET, with public health advice, are constantly reviewing the situation to ensure that we can open the economy as wide as possible in December, and to make sure we can have such a good Christmas.” as possible under the circumstances. “
(Image: Gareth Chaney / Collins)
He added: “Christmas will not be the same as the previous Christmas, it cannot be the same as the previous Christmas. This is a very contagious disease.”
Sinn Fein TD Kathleen Funchion told RTE’s The Week in Politics that the government needed to provide more clarity to allow people to plan for the holiday season.
She said: “For the last few weeks people were told they had to go to Level 5 to save Christmas. Now we are seeing that it is going to be very restricted anyway.
“I think the vast majority of people understand that regulations exist for a reason and want to follow them.
“But there needs to be a lot more in terms of planning and telling people what exactly it will be like if they are going to restrict people in relation to Christmas visits.”
In an interview with the Sunday Business Post, Professor Philip Nolan warned that easing restrictions on Christmas risks a third wave of the virus in the new year.
He said: “If we go back to the level of social contact that we had in August and September, we will be accumulating difficulties for ourselves in January and February.”
Dr Nuala O’Connor, Senior Advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners on Covid-19, said this year the focus will be on a “safe” Christmas.
She told Newstalk Breakfast: “I think we all have to think carefully as a society about how we are going to handle Christmas this year.
“Christmas is really important in Ireland. What we have to do is try to focus on how we can have Christmas, but in a safer way.
“Now we know how to reduce the number of viruses and how to keep them low, and it really is about reducing the number of people we meet on a regular basis.
“We also need to focus on how we can meet people safely.
“Yes, Christmas will be a little different because if we try to have it the normal way, if there are too many people gathered in closed, crowded and poorly ventilated spaces, that is exactly where this virus loves to spread.
“We have to start thinking positively and being creative and inventive about how we can get together safely and have that connection with friends and family.”
NPHET President Cillian De Gascun said over the weekend that the advisory body was considering introducing a cap on the number of close contacts people will be allowed on Christmas.
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