Halloween parties are at risk ‘for Christmas’
Covid surge a ‘warning’ but jabs protecting people
THE Government is considering further postponing the full end of lockdown next weekend to ensure Christmas is not cancelled. And that could mean no Halloween parties or the return of nightclubs. There is nervous concern among Cabinet members this weekend after the sudden increase in Covid case numbers during the week, with numbers of over 2,000 reported on several days. There were 1,914 more cases yesterday with 413 people hospitalised with the virus. This has led to a rethink on the further reopening of society with the lifting of most of the remaining lockdown restrictions next Friday, October 22. Most figures in Government want to proceed, but it will have to be done with “the utmost caution”, one senior Government source said. And a Minister has said that the top priority is to make sure everything is good to go for Christmas.
Meaningful
Asked if Halloween celebrations could go ahead as normal (nightclubs open etc.) with the rising Covid case numbers and increasing hospitalisations, the Minister said: “To hell with Halloween, it’s all about Christmas already in Government Buildings. “We have to get that right.” Taoiseach Micheál Martin lost a lot of political capital last year when he promised people they would have what he termed “a meaningful Christmas.” But a sudden spike in case numbers heralding the start of the third Covid wave meant it was far from a meaningful Christmas for many. The Government had to put the country back into lockdown right in the middle of the Christmas break and it will be at pains to ensure there is no repeat of this U-turn. NPHET will brief Government leaders on Monday with advice for further reopening, or not. TAOISEACH Micheal Martin and HSE boss Paul Reid have insisted there is no need to panic, despite the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country. There is concern amongst leading medics in NPHET that the virus has taken a wrong turn again, with Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn casting doubt over workers returning to their offices. However, the Taoiseach has said there is “no need to press the panic button”, as the full lifting of restrictions is due to take place next Friday. But he hinted that the use of vaccine certs for indoor hospitality may continue past October 22. “We are going to have to assess the situation in terms of the overall number of cases,” Mr Martin said. “There is not a whole lot left to reopen — behaviour is now a factor. “I think we will be looking at vaccination certs f or example. The COVID-19 vaccination certs have been used so far for access to [indoor] hospitality.