New Covid-19 restrictions are the 'last thing' Government wants - Coveney

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has spoken to Israeli counterparts about the booster programme. File Image.

Introducing new restrictions is the "last thing" the Government wants to do, but it cannot be ruled out, Simon Coveney has said.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin today, the Foreign Affairs, Mr Coveney said that the measures announced on Tuesday were aimed at preventing more restrictions being needed. However, he said that such a scenario could not be ruled out.

"This is about trying to avoid more severe restrictions on people. It’s about effectively recalibrating our response and recognising that large numbers of people in nightclubs and late-night bars is a risk factor that we think it’s responsible to remove for now. But we know the consequences of that on the sector. But it is the job of the Government not to make popular decisions.

“I think it’s the right decision. We can’t rule out further restriction and we will simply have to follow the behaviour of this virus in the weeks ahead to see whether we’ve done enough to protect society through the winter, or whether we need to do more."

He said that it was a case of "wait and see" how the restrictions announced yesterday - the expansion of Covid certs to theatres and cinemas legally, a return to working from home and a midnight closing time in hospitality - affected the spread of the virus, but he said it was not guaranteed that more restrictions would be needed. He said that people could not be critical of the Government for closing bars at midnight and for being "light-touch" on restrictions.

“But certainly the last thing the government wants is another severe series of restrictions in the build up to Christmas.

"You can’t provide guarantees on anything when it comes to Covid, that’s surely one thing we’ve all learned over the last 18 months or so. And we have to respond to the evidence as it’s presented."

Mr Coveney said that the "cheaper and more accessible the better" in relation antigen tests, but said that he was "not calling" on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to make the tests free.

"I think antigen testing will play a very significant role this winter but I think it's a clear message that people should understand - antigen testing is not as effective as people might think."

Mr Coveney said that he foresees the rollout of booster vaccines to under 50s "in time" and said that he has spoken to his Israeli counterpart on the issue. He said that the profile of people in ICU was largely either unvaccinated people or those with particular underlying conditions.