James Cox
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has advised people to hold off on booking flights home for Christmas.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Varadkar said it was "too soon" for people to start booking flights to Ireland.
"I think in terms of people booking flights for Christmas to come home, I'd advise them not to do that at the moment.
"I know that’s difficult, I know that’s tough, but Christmas is six weeks away and it is too soon now for people to be booking flights to come home."
Mr Varadkar added that there is a danger that international travel could lead to a surge in Covid-19 infections.
He also said that travel between the North and the Republic was a danger and something that is a concern to the Government at the moment.
Close contacts
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Government may ask people to limit close contacts over the Christmas period.
As the Irish Times reports, the Government has plans to implement new "modified" measures. Among them are social restrictions under which the public would be asked to keep their contacts “family-orientated”, particularly over Christmas.
Restaurants are expected to be given the green light to reopen but there is growing pessimism about pubs that do not serve food being allowed to do so.
Despite a significant fall in confirmed cases since the Level 5 restrictions were implemented three weeks ago, two senior sources said the curbs would not be eased before next month.
The hope is that this would result in further suppression of infections and bring the reproductive rate of the disease down further. A further 362 Covid-19 cases and two deaths were reported yesterday.
