The Minister for Health says he cannot rule out a return to tighter Covid controls in the winter.
Stephen Donnelly said nothing can be ruled out because of the uncertain nature of the virus.
He was speaking during a debate on an extension to the legal framework for Covid restrictions which are due to expire on October 9th.
According to the Irish Examiner, the Minister said an “agile and flexible” approach is needed for any “new emerging threats”.
“The act is an important part of that response, should the potential for [a new threat] arise in the future, and while unlikely, it cannot be fully ruled out because of the uncertainty of the future trajectory of the virus, given how novel it is,” he said.
Mr Donnelly reassured TDs that the plan remains to ease the last restrictions on October 22nd, “pending final Government approval and final analysis from our public health teams”.
“I’d like to assure the house, to assure colleagues, that existing regulations under the Act are due to be revoked, with effect from the 22nd of October, in line with the Government’s plan for this phase of Covid-19,” he said.
