Ireland to follow England in lifting nearly all COVID-19 restrictions

Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin has confirmed that nearly all Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted from 6am on Saturday. The only rules to remain in place will be face masks, self-isolation after a positive test and Covid passes for international travel.

Martin said “we have weathered the Omicron storm” but accepted the lifting of measures will likely cause a rise in infections in the short term but added that he was confident impact will be limited.

He also confirmed that some support would remain in place for businesses. “You did what you were asked to do,” he said and told the country “Your collective efforts have saved thousands of lives”. He said he had addressed Ireland on “many dark days” but said: “today is a good day.”

“Humans are social beings and we Irish are more social than most. As we look forward to this spring, we need to see each other again. We need to see each other smile. We need to sing again. As we navigate this new phase of Covid, it is time to be ourselves again.”

He explained a National Public Health Emergency Team report showed Ireland has “weathered the Omicron storm,” with the rate of infections falling and “all of the key indicators” pointing in the right direction.

“It confirmed that Ireland’s world-class vaccination programme and the rollout of the boosters has utterly transformed our situation,” he said.

The evidence suggested there was no longer justification for keeping most restrictions in place, he said. Martin did caution people that the pandemic is not over yet. “It will still require all of us to be vigilant,” he cautioned.