7,354 new cases confirmed as Cabinet agrees to end almost all Covid restrictions from Monday

4,060 of the cases confirmed today were from positive antigen test results reported on the HSE portal. File Picture: Mufid Manjun

Cabinet has agreed to end almost all restrictions next Monday, marking a significant step in the country's exit from the Covid-19 pandemic.

It means that mask-wearing will no longer be required on public transport, in retail environments or in schools. Masks will still be required in health care settings. 

Ministers have accepted all of the recommendations put forward by Nphet last week. It means that regulations relating to mask-wearing and other Covid-19 restrictions will no longer apply after February 28.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan recommended an end to the mandatory wearing of masks, saying in a letter to the Minister for Health: “Nphet concluded that there is no longer a continuing public health rationale for retaining them and advised that the following measures could be removed with effect from February 28 as planned.

“Mandatory mask wearing in areas where it is currently regulated for, including: public transport, taxis, retail and other indoor public settings, and staff in hospitality settings.

“Public health measures in early learning settings, school-aged childcare, primary and secondary schools, including physical distancing measures such as pods, and mask wearing.”

In addition, children will no longer have to stay in pods when they return after the mid-term break next week under the easing of restrictions.

It comes as a further 7,354 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this afternoon by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). 

3,294 of the cases were confirmed through PCR testing while the remaining 4,060 were reported via positive antigen tests registered on the HSE portal yesterday. 

As of 8am this morning, there were 608 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, 54 of whom were being treated in intensive care.

A man wearing a face mask walks along O’Connell Street, Dublin (Damien Eagers/PA)

Meanwhile, testing and tracing will be scaled back and Nphet itself will be wound-up, although public health experts in the Department of Health, led by Dr Holohan, will continue to monitor the transmission of the disease closely.

In a statement, the Government said that the Omicron variant "is still with us so there are critical components which still require our collective response".

People must still isolate if symptomatic, even if they have been vaccinated or boosted.

Isolation and testing

The Government also issued fresh advice in relation to isolation and testing requirements.

If you are over the age of 13 and have Covid, you are required to isolate for seven days and use a medical-grade or FFP2 mask for 10 days.

Those aged 12 and under with a confirmed case must also isolate for seven days and use a "well-fitted" mask for 10 days if aged between nine and 12.

For the vast majority of people who develop symptoms from Monday, they are not required to get a test but must isolate until 48 hours after symptoms resolve.

For the unboosted, those aged 55 and older and the immunocompromised, if you develop symptoms, you are asked to self isolate, get a PCR test and follow the public health advice based on the test result.

These rules also apply to those who are pregnant and those who live with or provide care to an immunocompromised person.

Close contact are also required to self-isolate if symptoms develop.

The only close contact who needs to do a test is if they are a healthcare worker.

They are required to carry out repeat antigen testing, unless they have recovered from Covid in the previous three months.

Speaking about the restriction changes on his way into Cabinet this morning, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he understands that some people may be nervous.

"We have all been told by the public health experts, the Government advice has been for quite some time now, to wear these masks, wear them in retail, wear them on transport and wear them in healthcare settings. Of course people are nervous," he said.

But he added that the advice is "very clear" that this is the "appropriate thing to do" at this point in the pandemic.

Speaking earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney told RTÉ radio: “We’ve listened to our medical experts, right the way through Covid, that’s what Nphet has been there for.

“I think they’ve done an incredible job. Sometimes they’ve had to recommend decisions to Government that were unpopular and there’s been a lot of public debate around that.

“But the recommendations now coming from our Nphet team are clear.

“And I think we’re likely to discuss that in Cabinet this morning and accept those recommendations whereby masks would remain in medical settings in particular.

“I think we’d also be advising people to use their own judgments. And I think a lot of people will continue to wear masks on public transport, for example, and in other potentially crowded settings.”