'We’re not going away for Christmas' - CMO won't rule out tougher Covid measures

Ireland's Chief Medical Officer has not ruled out the need for tougher measures to protect the health system. 

Dr Tony Holohan said that no decision has been made on extra restrictions, but stressed that health officials will keep watching the situation closely in the coming days. 

Health officials have confirmed Omicron is now the dominant Covid-19 strain in Ireland, accounting for 52% of cases. 

Dr Holohan said, “We continue to monitor the effects but a series of measures have now been mandated by Government. They’re only coming into effect today. We believe that they will substantially cut the total volume of social contact across society.” 

“We’re not going away for Christmas." 

From today, restaurants and bars, excluding takeaways and delivery services, must close at 8pm.

The Government has also said there should be no indoor events after 8pm and attendance at indoor and outdoor events earlier in the day will be restricted.

Dr Holohan said that he hoped the measures would be enough to curb a sharp rise in infections, but warned people to “buy into not just the letter but the spirit of that guidance”.

“We believe that if we can follow the measures that have been mandated and decided upon by Government that we can have without recourse to further restrictions, so my message is now to concentrate on what’s in front of us.”

He called on people to reduce the number of people they meet over Christmas.

“Because things are open, it doesn’t mean that you have to do them, necessarily.”

He refused to speculate over whether schools would remain closed after the Christmas holidays, amid concerns about the spread of the virus among children.

He said that NPHET would watch the situation closely. 

The chief medical officer stressed that vaccines and booster jabs should protect people from severe disease.

Asked on RTÉ radio whether next Christmas might look more normal, he said: “My focus is on this Christmas, because we’re right now in a situation where, and I don’t like using analogies like tidal waves and so on, but the wave of infection that this is going to represent is right in front of us now.

“I’m not going to speculate as to where we’re going to be next Christmas in relation to all of those things. My focus, as I say right now, is on the imminent risk that exists from a public health point of view arising from Omicron for the Irish public.”