New Covid restrictions should not see venues shuttered, says Taoiseach

The Taoiseach has said he would like to see theatres and gig venues staying open, despite fresh Covid-19 restrictions.

The new measures, designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 amid high rates of the virus, will take effect on Tuesday and last until early January.

Nightclubs will close and there will be a maximum of 50% capacity at entertainment, cultural, community and sporting events.

On Monday Micheal Martin said: “We don’t want people taking a financial hit in terms of organising concerts and events.

“We want theatres to be kept open, we want artists still performing and I believe the nature of targeted supports should be such that we can enable concerts like this to take place and also that they should be viable for participants.”

Mr Martin described it as “one sector that has suffered more than most and we don’t want concerts cancelled”.

Indicating that further Cabinet discussions will take place, he told reporters: “The challenge then is, can we make up the losses for those who are putting on shows.”

Culture Minister Catherine Martin acknowledged the pressure the industry is under, speaking alongside Mr Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle.

“I absolutely understand it is not financially viable for them to be at 50% capacity, but that’s the public health advice.

“So my focus is on now getting supports in place, a scheme that means they can keep their doors open even at reduced capacity. I’d hope to be in a position to announce something in the coming days on that,” she said.

Mr Martin said the Government was waiting for the latest information on the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.

“There’s a lot of international work going on right now in relation to the Omicron variant and I think we do have to wait to see the outcome of that work in terms of how infectious is it, how virulent is it, to what degree will it damage and create illnesses and what amount of vaccine escape is there or what protection will the vaccines give us.”

“It is different to last year, because of the vaccination situation,” Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin also defended a Government decision to bring in a protocol that would see members of Nphet informing the Government before doing media interviews about the pandemic.

“Public health advice is central to our response to the pandemic and always has been at a core principle of mine and of government, and the articulation of that advice will always be facilitated,” Mr Martin added.

“At no stage will there ever be an attempt made in any way to compromise the independence of that, it is so central to our response.

“We’ve made it clear that members of Nphet will be facilitated in terms of appearing in media.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, even when in opposition, I have been very clear that public health advice, sometimes we might not like it, in terms of the messaging, is very necessary to combat a pandemic.

“We do need to co-ordinate it, and we do need to evaluate how the messaging is being received by the public as well.

“Sometimes there has been a plethora of voices out, which at different times may not have been as helpful as it could have been helpful as it could have been.”

Mr Varadkar also denied that the relationship between Nphet and the Government has deteriorated in recent weeks.

“I think that the new protocols around communications apply to all of us. They apply to government ministers as well,” Mr Varadkar added.

“There’s been a lot of confusion among the public, around mixed messaging, and we’ve been criticised for mixed messaging, and I accept that criticism.

“The public often find it hard to distinguish between all these different bodies, and which is the Government and which isn’t, and who’s speaking on behalf of who.

“All that’s happening now is that people are asked to coordinate their media appearances, to let GIS know that they’re going to be on a particular programme, and then you get the up to date brief so that you’re across things and you prepare for questions that you might not prepare for.”

A further 2,950 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland on Monday, the Department of Health said.

According to the latest figures, there are 536 people in hospitals with the virus, with 110 patients in intensive care units.

Earlier, the Department of Education reversed controversial instructions which said that pupils who refuse to wear masks should be refused entry to primary schools.

New advice on Monday said children in third class and above should not be excluded from lessons “in the first instance” for refusing to wear a face covering.

Schools have been urged to “engage pragmatically and sensitively” with parents, and in incidents where no progress is made then the department will provide further support.

The fresh advice comes after primary schools were sent instructions last Tuesday to refuse pupils in third class who went to school with no masks.

There was widespread criticism over the language used in the memo and that there was no lead-in time for schools.

The new guidance says parents are encouraged to “work with schools in a spirit of partnership and co-operation”.

Louise Tobin, principal of St Joseph’s Primary School in Tipperary, welcomed the new guidance.

Ms Tobin, a member of Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), said: “The information that came out late Tuesday evening was suggesting that if children didn’t comply or their parents didn’t wish them to comply with the mask-wearing, then they would not be allowed entry to school.

“That was something that we didn’t feel comfortable with.

“We needed further explanation on how indeed were we going to manage this.

“At the end of the day we would never want to exclude a child from their education and from school.”