Restrictions all but gone

The mandatory wearing of facemasks will be done away with from next week after the cabinet agreed to banish almost all remaining Covid-19 restrictions.

From Monday, the wearing of masks in schools, shops and public transport will be on a voluntary basis only.

The Government still advises people to wear masks on public transport but will not enforce it by law.

Face masks will still be required in health care settings.

Furthermore, protective measures in schools including pods, separated break times, and face coverings will end.

For testing, a person with symptoms should self-isolate until 48 hours after symptoms end.

A Covid-19 test is no longer required unless the person is over 55 and has not received a booster, has a high-risk medical condition, is immunocompromised, lives in the same household or provides care and support to someone who is immunocompromised, or is pregnant.

If a person is a close contact with no symptoms, they will no longer need a test unless they are a healthcare worker who is a household close contact.

With the further easing of restrictions, it is expected that a phased return to offices can begin shortly.

The announcement comes after the three Government party leaders agreed upon NPHET’s most recent recommendations to further ease restrictions.

Speaking on RTÉ News, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said it is normal for people to be a little worried but that the decision to further ease restrictions is the right thing to do.

“The advice is very clear, that based on the current trajectory of the disease and based on how many people have been vaccinated and boosted, this is the appropriate thing to do at this time,” he told RTÉ News.

According to Gov.ie, there is to be no change to the current measures in place regarding international travel, including the requirement for a Digital Covid Certificate.

New variant

Meanwhile, reports are coming in from across the globe of a new sub-variant of the Omicron virus called BA.2 which is reported to already be the dominant strain in Norther Ireland.

The sub-variant is said to be more transmissible and pose more risk upon infection than the original Omicron variant.

According to Gov.uk, as of 24 January, 1,072 genomically confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified in England. BA.2 has an increased growth rate compared to the original Omicron virus in all regions of England where there are enough cases to assess it.

In Denmark, it is reported that BA.2 accounts for roughly half of all known Covid-19 cases and the US is said to be bracing for similar numbers.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), based on the characteristics of the variant, it should continue to be considered a variant of concern.

The statement read: “Initial data suggest that BA.2 appears inherently more transmissible than BA.1, which currently remains the most common Omicron sub lineage reported.”

The statement goes on to point out that initial studies suggest that people who have recovered from Omicron should not have a strong natural resistance to BA.2.

“WHO will continue to closely monitor the BA.2 lineage as part of Omicron and requests countries to continue to be vigilant,” the statement read.

The latest Covid-19 statistics in Ireland show 3,294 PCR-confirmed in the country.

In addition, on Monday, 4,060 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.

There are currently 608 Covid-19 patients in hospital in Ireland, with 54 of those patients in intensive care.