The Cabinet is expected to meet today to consider the latest advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), in response to the rise of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
NPHET has recommended a 5pm closing time for pubs and restaurants from next Monday. It is also advocating that sporting, theatre and cultural gatherings should not take place after 5pm and that capacity should be cut to 50%, or 5,000 people, for outdoor events.
These recommendations also strongly urge a major reduction in the numbers allowed to attend both indoor and outdoor events. Although the advice is not thought to be specific about occasions such as weddings, NPHET has formed the view that all large gatherings are potentially super spreaders and is