By Digital Desk Staff. Additional reporting by PA.
Gardaí will not be calling to people's doors to clamp down on gatherings over the Christmas period, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said as he raised the hope that families can gather for a traditional festive celebration.
Under current Level 5 restrictions, gardaí were given the powers to call to homes to clamp down on house parties in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.
However, Mr Martin said those powers would not be enacted as people come together to celebrate Christmas, according to the Irish Examiner.
Asked about the possibility of Gardaí calling at doors on Christmas Eve, Mr Martin said: "That's not going to happen, that will not happen, we are all on trust here, both as individuals and collectively."
A spokesperson for Mr Martin later confirmed it was "never intended" that the Garda powers would be used to stop family members visiting each other, but were rather introduced to tackle house parties and large gatherings.
“I do get that people will want to meet with family. People know what works, and they know they won’t be on the lash this Christmas. We won’t have the office parties people had in previous years,” Mr Martin said.
Level 5 forever
Speaking yesterday, the Taoiseach said an "exit plan is being worked on across Government" in relation to the Covid-19 lockdown currently in place, with a decision due by the end of November.
He indicated this could include an initial move to Level 3 restrictions, with further easing of measures closer to the Christmas holidays.
“I want to do better and get the numbers really down by the end of the month, that gives us better flexibility and room for the month of December and Christmas and beyond,” he told RTÉ.
“We do want a meaningful Christmas, we do understand the significance in our lives, we also understand that one cannot be at Level 5 forever.”
I get the sense from the public they know what will be different
Mr Martin said he believed lessons had been learned from the summer period.
"I think that will inform people's behaviour leading into Christmas. I get the sense from the public they know what will be different,” he said.
The Government has suggested that Irish people living abroad will be advised not to return home for the festive period and that wet pubs will remain closed.
Mr Martin also said he believes vulnerable groups will be able to access a Covid-19 vaccine in the first half of 2021, with his “guesstimate” that the vaccine could become widely available by the middle of next year.
An additional 482 new cases of Covid-19 cases and seven deaths were confirmed in the State yesterday evening, with chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan saying the numbers were an important reminder of the “unpredictable nature” of the virus.
