The Covid-19 booster vaccination programme is being extended to include the over-50s, those with underlying medical conditions and those in long-term healthcare facilities, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced on Tuesday.

The decision was made following recommendations made by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, who has endorsed the advice.

Cabinet also agreed a new closing time of midnight for pubs and restaurants from Thursday.

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In addition, from midnight on Thursday, everyone should revert to working from home “unless it is necessary to attend the workplace in person”, the Government said.

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The public health advice is also being changed for households where a case of Covid-19 is confirmed. Members of the household will now be asked to restrict their movements for five days by staying at home.

Previously, vaccinated people with no symptoms in such a situation were not obliged to restrict movements.

In a televised address confirming the latest restrictions, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there was “no doubt” Ireland would be in a “full-scale lockdown” without the national vaccination programme.

He added: “If hospitalisations continue to grow at the rate we are currently seeing no health system anywhere in the world would be able to cope.

“The surge that we are now experiencing is a dramatic reminder of what this virus can do and the threat that it continues to represent. We need to act now to deal with this surge.”

The Department of Health confirmed 4,407 new cases of Covid-19 in the State on Tuesday. As of 8am, the number of patients being treated in hospital was 614, with 114 in ICU.

‘

Unsustainable’

In a tweet on Tuesday evening chief medical officer Tony Holohan spoke of the 55,000 cases reported in the State over the last two weeks.

“Unfortunately, we do expect this figure to increase in the coming days,” he said.

“This case level is unsustainable. When incidence of disease is as high as this, we must all act as though we are close contacts and as though we are at risk of transmitting the virus to others.”

The chief medical officer called on the public to prioritise who they meet, saying: “We are more likely to contract Covid-19 from someone we know – a friend, a work colleague, a team-mate – than a stranger passing by in a shop or on the bus.”

There was disappointment in the hospitality industry at the latest announcement on restrictions.

Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the Licensed Vintners’ Association (LVA), said it showed the Government strategy was not working.

“We were told that if we waited until the majority of the public was vaccinated we would be able to get back to trading. Well we waited and that wasn’t enough,” he said.

Others were more philosophical. Joe Dolan, owner of the Bush Hotel in Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim, said Tuesday’s announcement was “inevitable”.

“My head might say one thing but my heart tells me it was the right thing to do,” he said.

Fergal Quinn, who with his brother Kevin runs two late night venues in Sligo, Lola Montez and the Bourbon Bar, said: “In a way we saw this coming.”

Their venues had already had some cancellations because people were “spooked” by the rising Covid numbers, rather than because of the latest Government decision, he said.

Many of the patrons at one of their venues normally arrived at 11pm. “I doubt if people will rock up at 9pm. I think we will experience a bit of pain,” he added.

“Will people adjust their nights out so that they can get to late night venues earlier? Time will tell whether people will start going out at 7pm.”