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Any mass gathering of more than 5,000 people will be banned until September 1 according to plans to be announced by the Government due to the current coronavirus crisis.
Government sources said that local authorities will be asked not to grant licenses for major events in this period due to the coronavirus crisis.
It is understood that the decision was made by the ministers at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. The decision will mean that major concerts and other events will have to be canceled or reorganized. Although sports events are not covered by the licenses, they are also likely to be canceled in the coming weeks.
In a statement, the government said it would give more health advice before the current restrictions end on May 5.
“However, there are a number of large-scale future events that require licenses and the participation of HSE and Garda Síochána, and a public consultation on that licensing process that local authorities must determine before that.”
“While the issue of restrictions on future mass meetings is a decision for the NPHET to make, in the case of these particular events, and taking into account the short-term impacts on the integrity of the licensing process due to restrictions In Stakeholder Engagement, local authorities have been informed by the Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licenses over 5,000 will not be considered for the period until the end of August. “
Mass gatherings were first restricted in the State on March 12 when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that indoor gatherings of more than 100 people should be canceled and outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people should be canceled. All mass gatherings have been restricted since March 24.
Tidy Towns canceled
Meanwhile, the cancellation of the Tidy Towns 2020 competition was confirmed by the Minister of Rural and Community Development Michael Ring “in the interest of public health and safety”.
“I know that many TidyTowns committees have been wondering if the competition will continue this year and I think it is important to provide certainty.
“For me, the health and well-being of the volunteers on the TidyTowns Committees is paramount. Given the current restrictions on public gatherings, travel, and adherence to social distancing, it would not be appropriate to ask volunteer groups to work on TidyTowns projects in their communities at this time.
“Therefore, I have decided that the TidyTowns competition will not take place this year.”
Not surprised
MCD owner Denis Desmond said he is not surprised by the government’s decision to ban large gatherings.
Desmond, who is the largest promoter of live shows in Ireland, said he was already planning to cancel the shows planned for the summer as many international acts are not on tour anyway.
“It was only a matter of time. It is the right thing, we have been waiting for it. Germany and Denmark announced these restrictions last week and it is only a matter of time before the UK also announces them,” he said.
“Everyone must be on the same page. American acts would have difficulty coming to Europe. They would not only depend on shows in the UK and Ireland, but they would also have to have shows in Europe. It would not be feasible for them to come play only a few shows. ”
He anticipated that the concerts and festivals that were to take place in 2020 will now run until 2021.
“That is something we will start working on right away. In twenty-four hours we will announce new dates. Most of the shows go back 12 months, ”he said.
Among the festivals that will now be canceled will be the inaugural Sunstroke rock festival that will take place in Punchestown between June 13-14 and Longitude, which will take place in Marlay Park in South Dublin between July 3-5. They were all promoted by MCD.
He said the impact on live music in general has yet to be seen. “The only positive thing is that we only have one year of vaccination at most. Hopefully we all get back to business next summer. Industry in Ireland alone is worth € 2 billion. We have never seen anything like this and we hope we will never see it again. ”
FAI
The FAI will seek talks with the government on the announcement / The governing body of soccer in the Republic said it wanted to seek clarity on how the decision would affect the ESS Airtricity League, as well as the potential impact on international soccer matches if the ban is extended until September.
FAI Acting Executive Director Gary Owens said these were the two problems that immediately arose from the updated situation on social distancing measures.
The FAI had revealed earlier Tuesday that it expected Ireland’s tie with Slovakia in the Euro 2020 play-off would be played in October.
On international matches, including the UEFA Nations League matches scheduled for September and the Slovakia game, Mr. Owens commented: “We really need to be able to hold those matches and have massive gatherings in September. Hopefully we can make it to the end of August and that 5,000 limit will increase. ”
Owens said the 5,000 threshold for a ban on mass gatherings represented an opportunity for Irish League clubs as it was a level that could allow the league to resume matches.
The FAI National League Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Owens indicated that a final decision would not be made before May 5, the period for which the current social distancing restrictions apply.
Like everything else, the devil is in the details. We really need to understand what they mean by 5,000 in terms of mass meetings and if that applies in stadiums and what criteria we would have to meet, “he added.
Owens said allowing meetings in soccer stadiums of up to 5,000, if acceptable to HSE, would represent “significant progress” for the FAI.
The SSE Airtricity League is slated to resume on June 19 and the National Women’s League will kick off matches a week later.
While the FAI is considering a number of possible options, including further postponement or playing the games behind closed doors, Mr. Owens said a decision could not be made until they obtained further clarity and advice from the Government.
“I think the most important thing for us right now is to look at all the options, look at all the scenarios and be ready to make an appropriate decision,” said Owens.
The FAI chief executive, who held a conference call with other UEFA executives on Tuesday, said UEFA remained committed to the dates in late July for Irish clubs to enter European club competitions for next season. .
Owens said it was still possible for Irish clubs to be able to participate in the qualifying rounds in late July or early August.
He also confirmed that the semi-final playoff for Stephen Kenny’s team against Slovakia was now likely to take place in October, with the final tie for the winner against Northern Ireland or Bosnia in November.
“They don’t want to have the semifinal and the final of the play-offs in the same month,” said Owens.
Meanwhile, the GAA said it would not comment on the latest instructions on the mass meeting and its impact on the National League and the Irish Championship until the organization had a chance to discuss the situation internally.
The IRFU also said it was not in a position to comment on how the new restrictions would affect plans for the resumption of the sport in Ireland, including canceled matches in the Six Nations Championship, the Heineken Cup and the Guinness Pro14 league.
Plowing
Organizers of the National Plowing Championship, one of the largest outdoor events organized in Ireland each year, said they were still taking reservations for this year’s event to be held from September 15-17 in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow.
Anna Marie McHugh, spokesperson for the National Plowing Championship, said she was closely monitoring the situation and would follow government guidelines on the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The latest update doesn’t really change the situation. We will act in the best interest of the country if the time comes to make a decision,” said Ms. McHugh.
She said that all exhibitors were being informed that they would be entitled to a full refund if the event were canceled.
“There is a timeline in which various things must start to happen in terms of organizing the championships and I suspect that a final decision will need to be made in late May or early June as to whether we can proceed as planned in September” McHugh said.
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