Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin announced on Friday that most pandemic restrictions would be lifted, including early closing times and other restrictions on hospitality venues, declaring that the country “faced the storm of Omicron”.
Tighter rules, extended last month as the variant prompted a surge of new infections – forcing nightclubs to close over the Christmas period – 0600 on Saturday after new cases and other key indicators eased in recent weeks Will be removed from GMT.
“I have been standing here for many dark days but today is a good day,” Martin said in an announcement on television in Dublin.
“We have concluded that there is no longer a justification or justification for continuing with most of our public health restrictions.
“Most of the public health measures we have had to live with will be lifted,” he said, warning that “the pandemic is not over”.
Ireland only fully reopened in October, after an 18-month rolling lockdown, which then returned in early December.
Friday’s decision means pubs, bars and restaurants can operate normal business hours – instead of closing in the evening – and no longer require a COVID pass system or social distancing.
Meanwhile, indoor and outdoor events will have no limit on crowds and individual households can gather without restrictions on numbers.
Employees can also gradually return to work from next week.
Masks will still be required in some settings, while self-isolation rules will remain in place for people who test positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts as well as symptomatic people.
Ireland, with a population of about five million people, has recorded more than 6,000 deaths from the virus.
The country has a high level of vaccines, with nearly two-thirds of people over the age of five receiving a booster jab in recent months.
“Ireland’s first-in-class vaccination program and the rollout of boosters have completely changed our position,” Martin said in his address.
“It was our vaccinations and boosters that prevented the recent wave of infections from turning into more severe levels of illness and death.”
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