Gatherings of at least 5,000 people remain banned until end of August
Gatherings of more than 5,000 people have been banned until the end of August under new government plans.
It means that all large sporting events, concerts and festivals will be postponed or cancelled for the coming months.
The decision was taken by government ministers at a cabinet meeting this morning and will have wide-ranging impacts for the coming months in relation to the sporting calendar.
It has also, essentially, eliminated the music festival calendar, with festivals like Forbidden Fruit, Longitude and All Together Now all exceeding the 5,000 limit.
It will also impact the planned concert series at Musgrave Park, scheduled for June, and Westlife's Páirc Uí Chaoimh concert, which had been due to take place on August 28.
A statement issued by government said further health advice will be given ahead of May 5, when current restrictions are due to expire.
However, it was deemed necessary to issue guidance on large events in advance of that time due to the involvement of gardaí and HSE in their operation.
"While the issue of restrictions on future mass gatherings is a decision to be taken by the NPHET, in the case of these particular events, and taking account of the impacts on the integrity of the licensing process in the short-term due to restrictions on stakeholder involvement, local authorities have been advised by Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licences in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August," the statement said.
"This will be kept under review in line with NPHET advices on mass gatherings more generally."
The Tidy Towns competition has also been cancelled for the first time in its 62 year history. Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring confirmed the event won't take place in the interests of public health and safety.
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