Government leaders have decided there will be no further easing of Covid restrictions until later in September.
One of the reasons given at a meeting of ministers was that “we are naturally social people in Ireland” and this has driven higher case numbers.
It was decided at the crunch Cabinet subcommittee on Covid that Ireland’s winter plan and last roadmap out of lockdown will be published on Tuesday week, August 31st.
This will follow a meeting of the medical experts of NPHET next Wednesday morning, followed by another Cabinet subcommittee on Covid next Friday, August 27th.
It is understood that officials will then work through plan ahead of the big Tuesday announcement.
Sources have told the Mirror that the Government will take the next week to look at how we will deal with “the next stage of pandemic from September and through the winter.”
The Government is now not looking at any further easing of restrictions until “later in September.”
It was noted at Thursday’s subcommittee meeting that Covid numbers are higher than expected and that this could be attributed to the impact of indoor hospitality and other lockdown easing measures introduced.
It was also noted that “we are naturally social people in Ireland.”
Other issues discussed were the return to the workplace and how sectors can utilise antigen testing themselves.
The Department of Health will look at devising a new Winter Plan to help ease pressure on health service.
And NIAC will continue to assess vaccine boosters over the coming weeks.
It is projected by the Government that numbers at the Vaccination Centres will start to tail off from mid-September due to high numbers already vaccinated.
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