Planned exit from last Covid restrictions too good to be true

Good morning,

We’ve all heard the phrase that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

And so it was for the Government’s grand plan to put an end to the remaining Covid-19 restrictions on October 22nd, the date when we were to watch the pandemic recede out of sight in the rear-view mirror.

Instead of Covid-19 vaccination certs being ditched, they will now remain as a requirement to enter indoor premises, and the requirement for social distancing and masks will remain until at least next January or February.

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There was good news for people who are planning a wedding, religious ceremony or wanting to go to a gig as restrictions on numbers are set to be lifted.

As Pat Leahy writes in this analysis piece, there was little or no clarity, however, when it comes to nightclubs and late hospitality. At a press conference on Tuesday, the three party leaders confessed "anomalies" would come up and that this was inevitable in the messy business of reopening with caution.

“It appears that you will be able to saunter around a nightclub (with a mask on) perhaps approaching the bar, maybe on your way to or from the dance-floor; while a different set of rules will confine you to your table if you are at a late bar,” Leahy writes. Indeed.

Expect to see this teased out a little bit more in the Dáil today as the dust settles on the big announcement.

The big logistical moving part will be the administration of the booster vaccine to people over the age of 60. As we report in our lead today, the HSE will start to administer booster vaccines to an estimated 800,000 people between 60- and 80-years-old at the start of November.

Most over-70s are likely to be given boosters in their local GP surgery, while those aged between 60 and 70 are likely to get them in mass vaccination centres. Around two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine are in stock so supply is not an issue.

The administration of boosters to residents of nursing homes and other residential centres should be completed by the end of next week, and it will take 10 days for the booster programme to be operationalised.

There has been a big push in Government to get the booster programme up and running as Ministers look to countries such as Israel where extra vaccinations have been rolled out to dampen the sharp end of the Delta wave.

The next big question will be around whether healthcare workers should be next in line for a booster and if so, when. No doubt there will be many more twists to this story so keep an eye on irishtimes.com throughout the day for all the latest developments.

Meanwhile here is a handy explainer by Jade Wilson on what covid-restriction changes will come in from Friday.

Meanwhile in Armagh . . .

Tomorrow’s ceremony in Armagh to mark the centenary of partition and Northern Ireland’s foundation has been a controversial one, to say the least.

Last month, President Michael D Higgins disclosed he would not attend the event because he had difficulties with the event’s title, which he felt was a “political statement”.

The Government gave its full support to his decision and said the decision was “quite properly made” and was based on “concerns that he had consistently expressed”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Chief Whip Jack Chambers will represent the Government at the event, and as Freya McClements reports this morning, UK prime minister Boris Johnson is now also expected to attend the church service.

Mr Johnson will join Queen Elizabeth at the commemorative service, which has been organised by Ireland’s five main Christian churches.

Sinn Féin has said it would not accept an invitation to the event, with the Stormont junior minister Declan Kearney saying the President had been “correct” not to attend the service.

Writing in The Irish Times yesterday, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Dr Eamon Martin said he could not think of "celebrating" the centenary of Northern Ireland and the partition of Ireland, but that the event would see people "from diverse backgrounds and traditions, and with different beliefs and aspirations, coming together to pray for the healing of past hurts and to seek God's guidance in a spirit of hope for the future".

Best Reads

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If you haven't read Fintan O'Toole yet on the plight facing children with scoliosis, now is the time.

Legislation to provide safe access "without harassment" to hospital for women and girls seeking abortion services has been introduced by Sinn Féin as the Government confirmed it is also drafting a Bill, Marie O'Halloran reports.

Playbook

Dáil

Proceedings kick off at 9.12am with Topical Issues before Private Members’ business at 10am with the Regional Group who are bringing the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017. This would provide for the development and implementation of a cross-departmental multi-agency autism spectrum disorder strategy.

Leaders’ Questions will be taken at noon followed by Questions on Promised Legislation at 12.34pm.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will take questions after lunch, and then there will be pre-European Council meeting statements. The council is due to meet on the 21st and 22nd of October.

Government business will be taken at 5.30pm with statements on the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality.

The Dáil adjourns at 9.30pm. Here is the full schedule.

Seanad

The day kicks off at 10.30am with commencement matters followed by the order of business an hour later.

At 1pm, the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021 is up. This Bill aims to implement two EU and one UN legal instruments in the area of people smuggling.

At 5.30pm, Private Members’ business will be taken, and the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 is on the agenda. The Labour Party says this Bill would stop developers using loopholes in the planning legislation to convert purpose-built student accommodation into apartments for tourists

The Seanad adjourns at 7,30pm, and here is the full schedule.

Committees

At 9.30am the Joint Committee on Enterprise will look at the resourcing and capacity of the Workplace Relations Commission and how it addresses issues relating to migrant workers.

At the same time, the Joint Committee on Social Protection will hear an update on the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan for rural Ireland.

Also at 9.30am, the Sub-Committee on Mental Health will examine the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of children with representatives from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

At 5.30pm, the Joint Committee on Justice will hold pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2021.

There are a few other interesting committees up on Wednesday. The full details can be found here.