The following is a timeline of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Republic of Ireland, it has resulted in 1 ...
in 2020.
Timeline
January 2020
* 27 January – The
National Public Health Emergency Team
A National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is a group within Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health.
It is in the power of the Minister for Health (Ireland), Minister for Health to convene such a group when a publi ...
(NPHET) for COVID-19 was created to co-ordinate the national response to the pandemic.
February 2020
* 5 February – The
Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group
The National Public Health Emergency Team for COVID-19 (NPHET) (; ) was a National Public Health Emergency Team within Republic of Ireland, Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health that oversaw and provided national directio ...
—a subgroup of NPHET chaired by
Dr Cillian de Gascun, the
UCD-based Director of the
National Virus Reference Laboratory
The National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) is located in UCD, Dublin, Ireland and is affiliated to the University College Dublin School of Medicine. The NVRL provides a diagnostic and reference service for clinicians in Ireland investigating ...
– met for the first time in Dublin.
* 29 February
**The first confirmed case in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
was announced involving a male student from the
east of the country, who had arrived there from
Northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
. Ireland subsequently entered the Containment Phase.
**Authorities shut a secondary school linked to the case as a precautionary measure.
The State did not name the school involved, but—shortly afterwards—the ''
Irish Examiner
The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
s Political Editor, Daniel McConnell,
tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
a copy of the letter it had sent to parents informing them it would close.
March 2020
* 3 March – A second case was confirmed of a female in the east of the country who had been to Northern Italy.
She had no contact with the first case.
* 4 March – Four more cases were confirmed, two females and two males in the west of the country who travelled from Northern Italy, bringing the total to six.
* 5 March – Seven more cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 13.
Four of the cases were related to travel from Northern Italy—four males from the east of the country—one of these four cases was connected to
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. Two of the seven cases were associated with close contact with a confirmed case—two females in the west of the country. One of the seven cases was a male in the south of the country who had no history of travel abroad.
* 6 March
**It was reported that more than 60 staff at
Cork University Hospital
Cork University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public ...
would have to self-isolate following a case of
community transmission
In medicine, public health, and biology, transmission is the passing of a pathogen causing communicable disease from an infected host individual or group to a particular individual or group, regardless of whether the other individual was previou ...
of COVID-19 at the hospital.
**The same day brought confirmation of five more cases, bringing the total in the country at that time to 18.
* 11 March
**An elderly patient in
Naas General Hospital in
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
(south-west of the country's capital city, Dublin) became Ireland's first fatality from the virus; nine new cases were announced.
This brought confirmed cases to 43.
**
Cork University Hospital
Cork University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public ...
discharged a patient who had been admitted for
coronavirus disease
Coronavirus diseases are caused by viruses in the coronavirus subfamily, a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by ...
after they made a full recovery.
* 12 March
**27 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total cases in the country to 70.
**In response to the increase of cases,
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
announced the closure of all schools, colleges and childcare facilities until 29 March. The announcement, which came one day after the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
formally declared that the outbreak was
pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
, also marked Ireland's movement from the Containment Phase in its strategy to combat the spread of the virus (a strategy which the
Department of the Taoiseach
The Department of the Taoiseach ( ga, Roinn an Taoisigh) is the government department of the Taoiseach, the title in Ireland for the head of government.Article 13.1.1° and Article 28.5.1° of the Constitution of Ireland. The latter provision re ...
had reaffirmed just three days earlier) towards the Delay Phase.
* 14 March – 39 new cases were confirmed and another death announced of a man in the East of the country with underlying medical conditions. This brought the total cases to 129, with 2 deaths in total.
* 15 March
**40 new cases were confirmed. The total number of cases stood at 169 with 2 deaths.
**The
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The governm ...
ordered bars and public houses to close and advised against house parties.
* 18 March
**74 new cases were confirmed, bringing total cases in the country to 366 with 2 deaths.
**More detailed information about hospital statistics, age range affected, how COVID-19 was spreading, healthcare workers and cases by county was published by the
National Public Health Emergency Team
A National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is a group within Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health.
It is in the power of the Minister for Health (Ireland), Minister for Health to convene such a group when a publi ...
starting on this day. It showed that the virus was present in 23 of the
26 counties, with
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
,
Leitrim and
Monaghan
Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony.
The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
the only three yet to record a case.
* 19 March – 191 new cases were confirmed, bringing total to 557. 1 new death was recorded, bringing the total to 3 deaths. The woman died in an isolation ward in St Vincent's Hospital. Her daughter later spoke to the media and urged the public to protect themselves from the virus.
* 20 March – 126 new cases were reported, bringing the total to 683. It was also confirmed that the virus had since infected Laois and Leitrim, leaving Monaghan as the last of the 26 counties.
* 22 March – 121 new cases were announced, bringing the total to 906. A fourth death was also announced, bringing the total number of deaths to 4. The man, who died at the
Mater Hospital, was musical director of a choir in Dublin and former Head of Vocal Studies at the
Royal Irish Academy of Music
The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin, Ireland, is one of Europe's oldest music conservatoires, specialising in classical music and the Irish harp. It is located in a Georgian building on Westland Row in Dublin. An institution which ...
.
* 23 March – A further 219 cases and 2 more deaths were announced, bringing the totals to 1,125 cases and 6 deaths. Of those then diagnosed, 208 were health care workers.
* 26 March
**255 cases and 10 deaths were confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,819, and the total number of deaths to 19, more than double the previous day's total.
**According to
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
, most of the deaths occurred in "institutional settings", i.e. hospitals and
nursing homes
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...
. At this point, deaths began to accelerate rapidly.
* 27 March
**302 new cases as well as 3 new deaths brought the total number of confirmed cases and deaths to 2,121 and 22, respectively.
Among the deaths was the country's first healthcare fatality, who was based in the east.
**
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
announced a national
stay-at-home order
A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order (more common in Southeast Asia), or lockdown restrictions (in the United Kingdom) – also referred to by loose use of the terms (self-) quarantine, (self-) isolation, or lockdow ...
with a series of measures which he summed up as: "Stay at Home" (subject to certain exemptions).
**
Merrion Street
Merrion Street (; ) is a major Georgian street on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, which runs along one side of Merrion Square. It is divided into Merrion Street Lower (north end), Merrion Square West and Merrion Street Upper (south end). It h ...
described it as "a more intensive phase in our response to COVID-19". The measures, which coincided with an escalating death toll, were also a response to increased reliance on
intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
s (ICUs) to treat critically ill patients, and an attempt to lower this number before capacity was reached.
* 31 March – 325 cases and 17 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed cases and deaths to 3,235 and 71, respectively.
April 2020
* 1 April
**An additional 212 cases and 14 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,447, and the total number of deaths to 85.
**It was also announced that Chief Medical Officer
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
, who displayed signs of illness during the previous evening's news conference, had entered hospital for non-COVID reasons;
Ronan Glynn
Ronan Glynn is an Irish public health physician and physiotherapist who served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from October 2018 to May 2022. He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from July to October 202 ...
(
Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Head of the Department of Health's Health Protection Unit) took charge.
* 2 April
**A further 402 cases and 13 deaths were announced, bringing the totals to 3,849 cases and 98 deaths.
**Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said of the intensive care unit (ICU) figures: "Of 148 cases admitted to ICU, 25 of those cases have been discharged, sadly there have been 14 deaths from ICU and 109 remain in ICU. The median age of ICU admission is 62."
* 3 April
**A further 424 cases and 22 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 4,273 cases and 120 deaths.
**One patient was discharged from
Sligo University Hospital
Sligo University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Shligigh) is an acute general hospital in Sligo, Ireland. It is managed by Saolta University Health Care Group.
History
The hospital has its origins in the Sligo County Hospital which was buil ...
after being admitted to hospital for 10 days.
* 10 April
**A further 480 cases and 25 deaths were initially reported by the Department of Health, bringing the totals to 7,054 cases and 288 deaths. It was reported that there was a discrepancy between the number of cases confirmed by
Ireland's Department of Health and the
ECDC
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
, due to swab tests sent to Germany for analysis to clear the backlog and testing in Ireland. 14,000 samples returned from German labs, of which 1,035 tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 8,089. 62 patients admitted to ICU were discharged as of that date.
**
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
announced that measures introduced on 27 March would be extended until at least 5 May.
* 11 April
**A further 553 cases, together with an additional 286 cases from previous samples sent to Germany, and 33 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 8,928 cases and 320 deaths.
**
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...
said between 25,000 and 30,000 tests had been sent to Germany and "well over" half of the results had been returned, with the remainder due back by next week.
* 12 April
**A further 430 cases, together with an additional 297 cases from previous samples sent to Germany, and 14 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 9,655 cases and 334 deaths.
**The National Public Health Emergency Team said there would be a "real danger" of a second wave of virus cases, if the changing of restrictions was not done correctly.
* 13 April
**A further 527 cases, together with an additional 465 cases from the backlog of tests at the laboratory in Germany, and 31 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 10,647 cases and 365 deaths.
**Around 80% of cases are mild to moderate illness, close to 14% have severe disease and around 6% are critical.
**The
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
claimed Ireland's approach to tackling COVID-19 was the "right strategy" that was "going to save lives".
* 15 April
**A further 657 cases, together with an additional 411 cases from the backlog of tests at the laboratory in Germany, and 38 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 12,547 cases and 444 deaths.
**Among the deaths announced, a 23-year-old said to be the youngest person to have died in the country at the time.
**A spokesperson for the
Ireland East Hospital Group
The Ireland East Hospital Group ( ga, Grúpa Ospidéal Oirthear na hÉireann) is one of the hospital groups established by the Health Service Executive in Ireland.
History
The grouping of hospitals was announced by the Minister for Health, James ...
confirmed the deaths of two healthcare workers, a man and a woman, at the same hospital in
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
, the man having died at home the previous day and the woman having died in the hospital that day.
* 16 April
**A further 629 cases, together with an additional 95 cases from the backlog of tests at the laboratory in Germany, and 43 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 13,271 cases and 486 deaths. One death, previously reported, was de-notified.
**The National Public Health Emergency Team reported that lockdown and other measures had driven the
growth rate of the pandemic "as low as it needs to be" and was "close to zero".
* 18 April
**A further 630 cases, together with an additional 148 cases from the backlog of tests at the laboratory in Germany, and 41 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 14,758 cases and 571 deaths.
**Chief Medical Officer, Tony Holohan, reported that the
curve had flattened and that no peak would be coming. He said the lockdown should continue until 5 May and that the government should focus on
contact tracing
In public health, contact tracing is the process of identifying persons who may have been exposed to an infected person ("contacts") and subsequent collection of further data to assess transmission. By tracing the contacts of infected individua ...
.
* 21 April – Chief Medical Officer
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
announced that 8,377 people had recovered in the community and that 856 people were discharged from hospital as of that date. It was also announced that one previously reported death was no longer classified as related to COVID-19.
* 24 April – a further 577 cases and 37 deaths, and 185 probable deaths were reported, and 2 deaths previously reported were reclassified as unrelated to COVID-19, bringing the totals to 18,184 cases and 1,014 deaths. The
HPSC defined a probable death as "a death where a lab test had not been done but where a doctor believed a death was associated with current COVID-19." The total number of deaths included probable deaths in accordance with advice from the
ECDC
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
.
* 28 April – A further 299 cases were initially reported but the number was corrected to 229 by Chief Medical Officer
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
, and 59 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 19,877 cases and 1,159 deaths. 2 previously notified deaths were de-notified.
* 29 April – Chief Medical Officer
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
said "We estimate that as of Saturday 25th April 12,222 COVID-19 cases (64%) in the community have recovered. 1,164 cases (6%) have been discharged from hospital which gives us a total recovery rate of 70%."
* 30 April – A further 359 cases and 43 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 20,612 cases and 1,232 deaths.
1 previously notified death was de-notified.
May 2020
* 1 May
**
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
announced the extension of the current restrictions to 18 May at the earliest.
**A roadmap to easing restrictions in Ireland that included five stages was adopted by the government and subsequently published online.
* 6 May – Chief Medical Officer
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
announced that 17,110 had recovered in the community and that 1,399 people had been discharged from hospital as of that date.
* 13 May – Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Ronan Glynn
Ronan Glynn is an Irish public health physician and physiotherapist who served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from October 2018 to May 2022. He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from July to October 202 ...
announced that 17,877 people had recovered in the community and 1,593 people had recovered in hospital as of 10 May.
* 15 May
**Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan announced seven children in Ireland had been identified with links to
paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), or paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS / PIMS-TS), or systemic inflammatory syndrome in COVID-19 (SISCoV), is a rare systemic illness involving persistent fever and extreme i ...
, a new illness temporarily associated with COVID-19.
**The Government confirmed that phase one of easing the COVID-19 restrictions would begin on Monday 18 May. Among the heritage sites reopening under phase one were
Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey also known as the Royal Abbey of Cong, is a historic site located at Cong Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. The ruins of the former Augustinian abbey mostly date to the 13th century and have been described as featuring some of ...
,
Farmleigh
Farmleigh is the official Irish state guest house. It was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness family. It is situated on an elevated position above the River Liffey to the north-west of the Phoenix Park, in Castleknock. The est ...
,
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of N ...
,
Knocknarea
Knocknarea (; ) is a large prominent hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland, with a height of . Knocknarea is visually striking as it has steep limestone cliffs and stands on the Cúil Irra peninsula overlooking the Atlantic coast. A ...
, the
National Botanic Gardens and
Trim Castle
Trim Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Troim) is a castle on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, with an area of 30,000 m2. Over a period of 30 years, it was built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, Hugh de ...
.
* 18 May – Ireland entered phase one of the government's roadmap of easing COVID-19 restrictions.
* 20 May – Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that 21,060 people have recovered from COVID-19 as of 20 May.
Tony Holohan was absent "at short notice".
* 24 May –
Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Transport Infrastructure Ireland ( ga, Bonneagar Iompair Éireann) is a state agency in Ireland dealing with road and public transport infrastructure. The body was established in 2015 by merging the former National Roads Authority and Railway P ...
data and
AA analysis recorded a traffic increase of 30% over the previous week on the
M50 motorway.
* 27 May –
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...
announced that 22,089 people had recovered as of 27 May.
* 31 May – A further 66 cases and 2 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 24,990 cases and 1,652 deaths. 1 previously notified death and 5 cases were de-notified.
June 2020
* 3 June –
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
announced that 22,698 people had recovered as of 31 May.
* 5 June
**
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
announced a series of changes to the government's roadmap of easing COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland, which he summed up as: "Stay Local".
**The Government confirmed that "phase two plus" of easing the COVID-19 restrictions would begin on Monday 8 June.
* 8 June – Ireland entered "phase two plus" of the government's roadmap of easing COVID-19 restrictions.
* 10 June – Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that 23,213 people had recovered, a rate of 92%. However he said that people who have recovered are experiencing longer term effects including fatigue and decreased exercise capacity.
* 12 June – Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that travel restrictions would remain in place and that nobody should leave Ireland for the purpose of tourism or leisure.
* 17 June – Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that 23,308 people had recovered.
* 19 June – Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced a further re-configuration of the government's roadmap of easing COVID-19 restrictions with hairdressers, barbers, gyms, cinemas and churches reopening from 29 June.
* 24 June – It was announced that 23,349 people had recovered as of 21 June, a rate of 92%.
* 25 June
**The Government confirmed that phase three of easing the COVID-19 restrictions would begin on Monday 29 June.
**
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...
announced that face coverings would be mandatory for passengers on public transport to allow capacity on buses, trains and trams to increase, with sanctions for non-compliance.
* 29 June
**Ireland entered phase three of the government's roadmap of easing COVID-19 restrictions.
**Remaining businesses reopened including all pubs serving food, cafés, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, beauty salons and tourist attractions.
* 30 June – A further 11 cases and 1 death were reported, bringing the totals to 25,473 cases and 1,736 deaths.
July 2020
* 2 July –
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
announced that he was stepping back from his position to spend time with his family.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn
Ronan Glynn is an Irish public health physician and physiotherapist who served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from October 2018 to May 2022. He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from July to October 202 ...
succeeded him as Acting Chief Medical Officer.
* 7 July – The
Health Service Executive
The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...
(HSE) released the
COVID Tracker contact tracing app
COVID-19 apps include mobile-software applications for digital contact-tracing - i.e. the process of identifying persons ("contacts") who may have been in contact with an infected individual - deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Numerous ...
that uses
ENS and
Bluetooth technology
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...
to record if a user is in
close contact
Close may refer to:
Music
* ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988
* ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017
* ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969
* "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014
* "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016
* "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...
with another user, by exchanging
anonymous codes, with over 725,000 downloads within a few hours after its launch.
* 10 July – new
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence since Decembe ...
confirmed that the wearing of
face coverings on
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
would be compulsory from Monday 13 July.
* 15 July
**Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced that phase four of easing COVID-19 restrictions would not go ahead on 20 July and is postponed to 10 August.
**Following a
Cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
at
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the se ...
, the government announced five key priority areas:
***
Face coverings must be worn in all shops and shopping centres. Retail staff would also be required to wear them unless there is a partition in place or there is
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
of 2 metres between them and customers.
***Pubs, hotel bars, nightclubs and casinos would remain closed until 10 August. Pubs currently serving food can remain open.
***Social visits to people's homes should be limited to a maximum of ten people from no more than four different households.
***Current restrictions of 50 people in indoor gatherings, 200 at outdoor gatherings would be extended until 10 August.
* 19 July – A green list for safe travel, due to be published by the government on 20 July, was postponed due to ongoing negotiations in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, where the Taoiseach was attending an
EU summit
This is a list of meetings of the European Council (informally referred to as EU summits); the meetings of the European Council, an institution of the European Union (EU) comprising heads of state or government of EU member states. They start ...
. People coming into Ireland from countries on the list would not be required to quarantine for a 14-day period, as arrivals from countries not on the list would be.
* 20 July –
Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn
Ronan Glynn is an Irish public health physician and physiotherapist who served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from October 2018 to May 2022. He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from July to October 202 ...
said that public health officials are now seeing
outbreaks
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
on construction sites, in fast food outlets and supermarkets.
* 21 July
**The
Health Information and Quality Authority The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA, ; Irish: ''An t-Údarás um Fhaisnéis agus Cáilíocht Sláinte'' ) is a statutory, government-funded agency in Ireland which monitors the safety and quality of the healthcare and social care sys ...
revealed that half of nursing homes inspected by the authority were not following proper infection prevention and control regulations.
**Following a
Cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
at
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the se ...
, the government agreed to add 15 countries to a green list from which people could travel to without having to restrict their movements for 14 days upon arriving in Ireland, and would be reviewed on a fortnightly basis.
* 23 July – The government launched a €7.4 billion
July Jobs Stimulus
The July Jobs Stimulus is a €7.4 billion Stimulus (economics), stimulus package announced by the Government of Ireland on 23 July 2020 in response to the Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, economic impact ...
package of 50 measures to boost economic recovery and get people back to work, with the
COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (referred to as the PUP) was a government emergency aid program in the Republic of Ireland that provided monetary relief to those who face unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether formerly emp ...
and the
Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme
The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Act 2020 ( Act No. 2 of 2020; previously the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020, Bill No. 4 of 2020) was an Act of the Oireach ...
extended until April 2021.
* 27 July – The government announced a €376 million support package and roadmap to reopen all schools in Ireland at the end of August which included additional teachers and
special needs assistant
The levels of Ireland's education are primary, secondary and higher (often known as "third-level" or tertiary) education. In recent years further education has grown immensely with 51% of working age adults having completed higher educatio ...
s, personal protective equipment and stepped-up cleaning regimes.
* 30 July
**A large increase of cases was caused by an outbreak at a dog food factory in
Naas
Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge.
History
The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
,
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
and in cases associated with the
construction industry
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...
.
**Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that 24,000 people had recovered.
* 31 July
**A further 38 cases and no deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 26,065 cases and 1,763 deaths.
**Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that mass testing had taken place in relation to a number of known outbreaks.
August 2020
* 3 August – Two groups representing publicans announced that they were calling for a compensation package for their members if pubs were not allowed to reopen on 10 August.
* 4 August – Following a
Cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
at
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the se ...
, the government announced six key priority areas:
**Phase four of easing COVID-19 restrictions would not go ahead on 10 August.
**Pubs, bars, hotel bars, nightclubs and casinos would remain closed.
**Restaurants and pubs serving food would have to close by 11pm, but takeaways and deliveries could remain open after that time.
**
Face coverings would be mandatory in all shops and shopping centres from 10 August.
**Five countries were removed from the
green list of countries that were safe to travel to.
**Current restrictions of 50 people in indoor gatherings, 200 at outdoor gatherings would remain in place.
* 6 August – Following a significant number of cases confirmed, Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn made an appeal to people in
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
,
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
and
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
to take particular attention if they were symptomatic, and double down on health measures.
* 7 August
**
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence since Decembe ...
announced a series of measures for counties
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
,
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
and
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
following significant increases of COVID-19 cases in the three counties, which would come into effect from midnight and would remain in place for two weeks. Measures include:
***Residents of the three counties would not be permitted to travel outside of their counties except for in limited circumstances including to travel to and from work.
***Restaurants, cafés, pubs serving food, cinemas, gyms, theatres, museums, galleries, bingo halls, casinos, betting shops, leisure centres and other indoor recreational and cultural outlets would be closed.
***All retail outlets may remain open but with strict adherence to public health guidelines, including the wearing of
face coverings.
***All indoor gatherings would be restricted to 6 people and outdoor gatherings restricted to 15 people.
* 10 August –
Face coverings were made mandatory in all shops, shopping centres, libraries, cinemas, museums, nail salons, hairdressers, dry cleaners, betting stores, tattooists and travel agents, with fines of up to €2,500 or a prison sentence of six months to people who do not comply.
* 15 August – Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn announced that Ireland was having multiple clusters with secondary spread of disease and rising numbers of cases in many parts of the country.
* 16 August – The Licensed Vintners Association called for a Dublin pub to be shut down after videos emerged on social media of customers and staff not adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
* 18 August – Following a
Cabinet meeting
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
at
Government Buildings
Government Buildings ( ga, Tithe an Rialtais) is a large Edwardian building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland, in which several key offices of the Government of Ireland are located. Among the offices of State located in ...
, the Government announced six new measures because of the growing number of confirmed cases, which would remain in place until at least 13 September:
***All outdoor events would be limited to 15 people
***All indoor events would be limited to 6 people, except for religious services, weddings and businesses, such as shops and restaurants
***Gardaí would be given new powers to enforce rules around social gatherings in restaurants and bars serving food, and in private homes
***Restaurants and cafés could remain open with closing times of 11.30pm
***People would be advised to work from home and to avoid using public transport, unless absolutely necessary
***Sports events and matches would revert to behind closed doors with strict avoidance of social gatherings before and after events
* 19 August – Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn spoke in a five-minute video shared by the
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
to clarify confusion over the public health measures announced on 18 August.
* 21 August – The Government announced that COVID-19 restrictions in counties
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
and
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
would be lifted but restrictions in
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
would be extended for another two weeks.
* 22 August
**A 23-year-old woman in
Dóchas Centre
The Dóchas Centre (Irish: ''lárionad le Dóchas'') is a closed, medium security prison, for females aged 18 years and over, located in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, Ireland. It is also the committal prison for females committed on remand or sente ...
became the first prisoner in Ireland to test positive for COVID-19.
**Four men were arrested after around 500 people attended an anti-lockdown rally organised by the Yellow Vests Ireland group at
Custom House Quay in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
* 23 August – The Chair of the
NPHET Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Philip Nolan announced that 100 children aged between 5 and 14 tested positive for COVID-19 in Ireland in the previous two weeks.
* 24 August – 15 employees tested positive for COVID-19 at three meat plants around the country.
* 26 August – A meat processing plant in
Cahir
Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.
Location and access
For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin ...
,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
announced that 22 members of staff, along with 16 close contacts, tested positive for COVID-19.
* 27 August – The
National Public Health Emergency Team
A National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is a group within Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health.
It is in the power of the Minister for Health (Ireland), Minister for Health to convene such a group when a publi ...
recommended that the government don't reopen pubs on 31 August, while Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn stated that case numbers in Kildare were not stabilising sufficiently to allow for lockdown restrictions to be eased early.
* 28 August
**
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
Paschal Donohoe
Paschal Donohoe (born 19 September 1974) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform since December 2022 and President of the Eurogroup since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the ...
encouraged employers to register for the
Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme which would replace the
Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme
The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Act 2020 ( Act No. 2 of 2020; previously the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020, Bill No. 4 of 2020) was an Act of the Oireach ...
from 1 September 2020.
**The Government announced a €16 million package of measures to help pubs, bars and nightclubs to reopen, including a 40% top-up of the restart grant. They also announced three new Gardaí enforcement powers to close pubs immediately that do not serve food or maintain social distancing on the premises.
* 30 August – Concerns were raised about breaches of social distancing after footage emerged on social media of people drinking and singing on the street of
Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...
,
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
on the night of 29 August.
* 31 August
**A further 53 cases and no deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 28,811 cases and 1,777 deaths. 2 previously notified cases were de-notified.
**The Government announced the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Kildare with immediate effect.
September 2020
* 1 September
**A primary school class in Dublin was sent home after one pupil tested positive for COVID-19.
**Over 22,100 employers registered for the new
Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme which replaced the
Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme
The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Act 2020 ( Act No. 2 of 2020; previously the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020, Bill No. 4 of 2020) was an Act of the Oireach ...
.
* 2 September
**A second primary school class in Dublin was sent home after a number of pupils tested positive for COVID-19.
**A primary school in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
closed for one week after a number of staff members were identified as close contacts of a case of COVID-19.
* 3 September – One primary school and one secondary school in
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
sent a number of students home after students tested positive for COVID-19.
* 5 September
**Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn urged people in Dublin to keep their social contacts as low as possible.
**Church bells rang out across the country as the
Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
Helen McEntee
Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Justice from June 2020 to November 2022. From April to November 2021, she became a minister without portfolio during a period of maternity leave ...
and 14 other people attended an outdoor, socially distanced ceremony at
Collins Barracks, Dublin
Collins Barracks ( ga, Dún Uí Choileáin) is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History.
Previously housing both British Armed ...
to celebrate National Services Day in Ireland, remembering all those in the frontline who died.
* 7 September
**Over 61,000 students received their
Leaving Certificate
A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination.
For each leaving certifica ...
exam results with grades significantly higher than any other year on record.
**Following new figures published by the
CSO, Ireland was officially in recession after the economy shrank by 6.1% between April and June as the impact of COVID-19 brought the largest quarterly drop on record.
* 8 September
**The Government announced that pubs not serving food in Ireland could reopen on 21 September with strict regulations in place.
**The
Irish Medical Organisation
The Irish Medical Organisation (Irish: ''Ceardchumann Dhochtúirí na hÉireann'' ) is a professional association for doctors in Ireland, and is also a trade union representing doctors in negotiations with the Irish government.
The IMO was form ...
reported a surge in the number of children attending
GPs for assessment for possible COVID-19.
* 9 September – The Government announced that measures introduced on 18 August would be extended until Tuesday 15 September as a new roadmap for "
living with COVID-19
the global COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, but the disease may shift from a pandemic stage to an endemic stage in the future. Endemicity is characterized by people continuing to be infected and becoming ill, but in relatively stable numbers ...
" would be announced, which would include a colour-coded, five-level system to indicate what public health measures were in place in different areas of the country at any given time.
* 12 September
**Gardaí received legal powers to close restaurants and pubs which did not meet COVID-19 restrictions after
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...
signed into law the Criminal Justice Enforcement Powers COVID-19 Bill.
**Around 3,000 attended two anti-mask protests organised by the Yellow Vests Ireland group at
Custom House Quay in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
* 13 September
**Gardaí began an investigation of an assault of an activist following clashes between an anti-mask group and a
counter-protest
A counter-protest (also spelled counterprotest) is a protest action which takes place within the proximity of an ideologically opposite protest. The purposes of counter-protests can range from merely voicing opposition to the objective of the othe ...
outside
Leinster House
Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, ...
on 12 September.
**Gardaí increased high visibility patrols in Dublin to support the public health guidelines in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
* 14 September – The self-isolation period for patients who test positive for COVID-19 was reduced from 14 days to 10 days.
* 15 September
**The Government announced a medium-term plan for living with COVID-19 that included five levels of restrictions, with the entire country at Level 2 and specific restrictions in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
including the postponement of the reopening of pubs not serving food.
**
Ceann Comhairle
The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (; born 17 April 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann since March 2016. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare South constituency since 2002. He was a S ...
announced that the entire government would have to restrict their movements after
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
Stephen Donnelly
Stephen Donnelly (born 14 December 1975) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Health since June 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since 2011.
On his election to Dáil Éireann, Do ...
felt unwell and contacted his GP for a COVID-19 test. Just after 9pm, it was announced that Donnelly had tested negative for COVID-19 and that the government no longer needed to restrict their movements.
**The
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
confirmed that Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn was later revealed to be also restricting his movements as he met members of the government on 14 September, while
Minister of State for European Affairs
The Minister of State for European Affairs is a Minister of State (Ireland), junior ministerial post at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Ireland wi ...
Thomas Byrne had gone into self-isolation after getting tested for COVID-19.
Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 – Restrictions
* 17 September
**The
Department of Foreign Affairs added
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
to the government's travel
Green List while seven countries were removed.
**The NPHET advised the Government to implement Level 3 restrictions and stop indoor dining in restaurants and pubs in Dublin following a rise in confirmed cases in the capital over the last two weeks.
* 18 September – Following an announcement at
Government Buildings
Government Buildings ( ga, Tithe an Rialtais) is a large Edwardian building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland, in which several key offices of the Government of Ireland are located. Among the offices of State located in ...
, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that Dublin would move to Level 3 restrictions from midnight and would remain in place for three weeks until 9 October.
**Under Level 3 restrictions:
***All indoor museums, galleries, cinemas and other cultural attractions should close.
***Visitors were allowed from one other household only.
***No organised indoor gatherings should take place. Organised outdoor gatherings up to only 15 people were permitted.
***People living in Dublin should remain in the county, with the exception of those who must travel for work, education and other essential purposes. People living outside of Dublin should not travel to Dublin, with the exception of those who must travel for work, education and other essential purposes.
***Schools, early learning and childcare services should remain open.
***Retail and services such as hairdressers and beauticians would remain open with protective measures.
***Restaurants and cafes (including pubs serving food) may remain open for takeaway and delivery and outdoor dining to a maximum of 15 people. Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs may remain open, but with services limited to residents.
* 19 September – Garda checkpoints were mounted across
Dublin City and
County
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
as
Operation Fanacht recommenced following the imposition of Level 3 restrictions.
* 21 September – Gardaí began a criminal investigation of a rave organisation in a flat complex in Dublin where a large crowd not abiding by COVID-19 restrictions gathered on the night of 19 September.
* 23 September –
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
,
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
Simon Coveney
Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affai ...
and
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
Paschal Donohoe
Paschal Donohoe (born 19 September 1974) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform since December 2022 and President of the Eurogroup since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the ...
were among the three Cabinet ministers who began to restrict their movements under COVID-19 public health advice.
* 24 September
**Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
would move to Level 3 restrictions from the midnight of 25 September and would remain in place for three weeks until 16 October, with pubs remaining open for takeaway, delivery and outdoor dining to a maximum of 15 people only.
**The
Department of Foreign Affairs updated the government's travel
Green List which would come into effect from 28 September, adding
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
and removing four countries from the list.
* 25 September – Garda checkpoints were mounted across Donegal from midnight as
Operation Fanacht recommenced following the imposition of Level 3 restrictions.
**
Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...
announced that all higher education institutions had been asked to deliver lectures remotely where possible for the next two weeks.
* 29 September
**A multi-agency meeting took place in
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
to discuss public health concerns after hundreds of students congregated in the city on the night of 28 September, while student house parties continued to be a problem in
Cork city
Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
.
**Following crime figures published by the
CSO, the number of burglaries dropped by 52.8% between March and June, coinciding with the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions.
* 30 September – A further 429 cases and 1 death were reported, bringing the totals to 36,155 cases and 1,804 deaths. 14 previously notified cases were de-notified.
October 2020
* 1 October
**The
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
announced that
Tony Holohan
William Gerard Anthony Holohan is an Irish public health physician who served as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from May 2008 to 1 July 2022. Fergal Bowers described him as being "as familiar as Dr Anthony Fauci in the US and arguably as i ...
would return to his post as
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
from Monday 5 October.
**The
NPHET recommended to Government that a maximum of six people only from a single household should be allowed visit another home across the entire country, and that no
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
were expected to see an upgrade in their level of COVID-19 restrictions.
* 2 October – As part of a policing plan at the
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...
, gardaí in
Castletroy
Castletroy (, meaning O'Troy's Landing or O'Troy's Callow) is a suburb of Limerick, Ireland. The town was named after Castle Troy also known as The Black Castle, which is located on the southern bank of the River Shannon, roughly 2km East of th ...
,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
shut down 35 student house parties, arrested 5 people for public order offences and trespassing offences, and issued 30 anti-social behaviour warnings and 70 on the spot ticket fines; 45 for alcohol consumption; 25 for illegal parking.
* 4 October – In a letter sent to the Government, the NPHET recommended the highest level of restrictions for the entire country – Level 5 for four weeks, following an unscheduled meeting chaired by Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.
* 5 October
**The Government rejected the NPHET's recommendation to place the entire country under Level 5 restrictions, and instead moved every county in Ireland to Level 3 COVID-19 restrictions with improved enforcement and indoor dining in pubs and restaurants banned, which would come into effect from the midnight of 6 October until 27 October at the earliest.
**Speaking on RTÉ's ''
Claire Byrne Live'',
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
stated that the recommendation from NPHET to move to Level 5 "hadn't been thought through and there hadn't been prior consultation".
* 6 October
**Large-scale garda checkpoints were mounted across the entire country as
Operation Fanacht recommenced following the imposition of Level 3 restrictions.
**31 positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in a nursing home in
Portlaoise
Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050 ...
,
County Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
with 21 cases among residents and 10 cases among staff.
* 8 October
**After a review on the basis of data from the
ECDC
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that from 12 October, there would be no countries on the Government's travel
Green List.
* 9 October –
University College Cork
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork.
The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...
confirmed several cases of COVID-19 amongst students in a UCC-run student accommodation.
* 10 October – Two men were arrested after a total of 250 demonstrators attended an anti-lockdown protest organised by the
National Party outside
Leinster House
Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, ...
in Dublin.
* 14 October
**The Government agreed a nationwide ban on all household visits from the night of Thursday 15 October, except for essential reasons such as childcare and on compassionate grounds.
**Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced that counties
Cavan
Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...
,
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
and
Monaghan
Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony.
The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
would move to Level 4 restrictions from the midnight of 15 October until 10 November.
**Under Level 4 restrictions:
***No visitors to private homes or social gatherings would be allowed.
***Up to 6 guests could attend a wedding ceremony and reception.
***All gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools, museums, galleries and other non-essential businesses and services would be closed.
***Up to 25 mourners could attend funerals.
***Restaurants, bars and cafés could only open for takeaway and delivery.
* 16 October – The NPHET recommended to the Government to move the entire country to Level 5 restrictions for six weeks.
* 19 October – The Government agreed to move the entire country to Level 5 lockdown restrictions from midnight on Wednesday 21 October for six weeks until 1 December.
**Under Level 5 restrictions:
***People must stay at home.
***People would be permitted to exercise within a radius of 5 km of their home.
***Non-essential businesses and services would close.
***Public transport would operate at 25% capacity for the purposes of allowing those providing essential services to get to work.
***Pubs, cafés and restaurants may provide takeaway and delivery services only.
***Schools, early learning and childcare services would continue to remain open.
***There should be no organised indoor or outdoor events.
* 20 October – The Government agreed to give Gardaí new powers to fine people €1,000 who hold house parties and up to €500 who breach travel restrictions following the imposition of Level 5 restrictions.
* 22 October
**The Government agreed to align Ireland with the new European 'traffic light' system to coordinate international COVID-19 travel restrictions coming into force on Sunday 8 November.
**The
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
began a major high visibility policing operation to support the new public health restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 with over 2,500 gardaí deployed every day on 132 static and mobile checkpoints nationwide, as
Operation Fanacht recommenced.
**Schools nationwide were told to stop using ViraPro cleaning products and hand sanitisers, as they were being recalled because they contained methanol instead of ethanol.
* 31 October – a further 416 cases and 5 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 61,456 cases and 1,913 deaths. 19 previously notified cases were de-notified.
November 2020
* 7 November –
Minister for Transport
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
Eamon Ryan
Eamon Michael Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport since June 2020 and Leader of the Green Party since May 2011. He ha ...
announced that anyone arriving into Ireland from
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
would have to restrict their movements for 14 days over concerns of a new strain of coronavirus that emerged in Danish mink farms.
* 8 November
**The Government was criticised for a lack of clarity on what COVID-19 restrictions would apply at Christmas after the Chair of the
Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group
The National Public Health Emergency Team for COVID-19 (NPHET) (; ) was a National Public Health Emergency Team within Republic of Ireland, Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health that oversaw and provided national directio ...
Philip Nolan warned that strict limits would be needed on Christmas gatherings.
**The EU's traffic light system for air travel came into operation in Ireland from midnight, with the
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
publishing a three-stage colour system map every week to indicate the level of risk in each area of the EU.
* 15 November – Furious reactions emerged on social media after hundreds of people, in breach of Level 5 COVID-19 restrictions, gathered drinking takeaway pints on the streets of
Dublin city centre
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
on the night of 14 November.
* 19 November – The ECDC moved Ireland from 'red' to 'orange' on the EU traffic light map for international travel after COVID-19 figures improved.
* 20 November –
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
's top news presenters apologised after being present at a gathering in
Montrose where
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
was not fully observed and presenters posed for photographs.
* 22 November – Nine males were arrested in connection with a series of minor public order incidents in
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
after footage circulated on social media showing large groups of people without masks and not adhering to social distancing regulations in the city centre on the night of 21 November.
* 26 November – The NPHET recommended to the Government that restaurants and pubs should only be allowed to offer takeaway and delivery service for the entire Christmas period.
* 27 November – The Government agreed the approach for easing restrictions, including a phased move to Level 3 restrictions nationally from midnight on Tuesday 1 December, with a number of exceptions in place for the Christmas period from 18 December.
**From 1 December:
***Non-essential retail, hairdressers, gyms, leisure centres, museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas and places of worship would reopen.
***Households should not mix with any other households outside those within their bubble.
***People should stay within their county apart from work, education and other essential purposes.
***Face coverings would be recommended to be worn in crowded workplaces, places of worship and in busy or crowded outdoor spaces where there is significant congregation.
**From 4 December:
***Restaurants, gastropubs and hotel restaurants may reopen for indoor dining with additional restrictions.
***Pubs not serving food would remain closed except for takeaway and delivery.
**From 18 December to 6 January 2021:
***Households could mix with up to two other households.
***Travel outside your county to be permitted.
* 30 November – a further 306 cases and 1 death were reported, bringing the totals to 72,544 cases and 2,053 deaths. 3 previously notified cases were de-notified.
December 2020
* 1 December
**All non-essential retail shops, hair and beauty providers, gyms and leisure centres, cinemas, museums and galleries reopened after six weeks of closure.
**The Government approved an advance purchase agreement for 875,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by
Moderna
Moderna, Inc. ( ) is an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that focuses on RNA therapeutics, primarily mRNA vaccines. These vaccines use a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to produ ...
.
* 4 December – Thousands of restaurants, cafés, gastropubs and hotel restaurants reopened after six weeks of closure.
* 15 December –
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
Stephen Donnelly
Stephen Donnelly (born 14 December 1975) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Health since June 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since 2011.
On his election to Dáil Éireann, Do ...
announced the Government's National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, which outlined the country's high-level plan for safe, effective and efficient vaccination of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
, while safeguarding continued provision of health and social care services.
* 17 December – The NPHET recommended to the Government that the period of relaxed COVID-19 restrictions from 18 December be shortened to the end of the year as COVID-19 cases rise.
* 18 December
**Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan warned that Ireland must take immediate action to stop the spread of COVID-19 over the Christmas period.
* 20 December
**The Government agreed to impose a 48-hour suspension on flights from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
from midnight following fears over the spread of a new strain of COVID-19, while ferries would be limited to freight travel.
**Gardaí broke up an organised "car meet" of 800 people in more than 250 cars that breached COVID-19 regulations on the night of 19 December in
Little Island,
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
.
* 21 December – Speaking at a COVID-19 press briefing, the Chair of the NPHET
Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group
The National Public Health Emergency Team for COVID-19 (NPHET) (; ) was a National Public Health Emergency Team within Republic of Ireland, Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health that oversaw and provided national directio ...
Philip Nolan announced that a third wave of COVID-19 in Ireland was clearly underway.
* 22 December – The Government agreed to move the entire country to Level 5 lockdown restrictions with a number of adjustments from Christmas Eve until 12 January 2021 at the earliest.
**Under Level 5 restrictions:
***Restaurants and gastro-pubs must close at 3pm on 24 December (
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
).
***Hotels may provide food and bar services to guests only after 3pm on Christmas Eve. Hotels may only open to guests for essential purposes after 26 December.
***Up until 26 December (
St Stephen's Day
Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Chr ...
), visits from up to two other households will be permitted. Household visits would be reduced to one other household from 27 December.
***From 1 January, no household mixing would be allowed except for compassionate, care or childcare reasons.
***Non-essential retail would remain open but shops would be requested to defer January sales events.
***No new inter-county travel would be allowed after 26 December.
***Personal services, including hairdressers and barbers must close.
***Gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools would remain open for individual training only.
***Travel restrictions from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
would remain in place until 31 December.
* 23 December
**NPHET announced that the
new variant of COVID-19 in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
was now present in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
, based on a selection of samples analysed from the weekend.
**All
ministers in the Government began restricting their movements after it was announced that
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine ( ga, An tAire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Historically, the agriculture portfol ...
Charlie McConalogue
Charlie McConalogue (born 29 October 1977) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 g ...
tested positive for COVID-19.
* 24 December – Restaurants, cafés, gastropubs, hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons closed again as Level 5 lockdown restrictions came into effect.
* 26 December – The first shipment of 10,000
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
* 27 December – A ban on inter-county travel and family gathering restrictions came into effect from midnight following the reintroduction of Level 5 restrictions.
* 29 December – Ireland's COVID-19 vaccination programme commenced as a 79-year-old woman became the first person in the country to receive the
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at
St. James's Hospital,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
* 30 December – The Government agreed to move the entire country to full Level 5 lockdown restrictions from midnight until 31 January 2021 at the earliest.
**Under additional Level 5 restrictions:
***All schools to remain closed after the
Christmas break
An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study.
School holiday
School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...
until 11 January 2021. Childcare facilities and crèches to remain open.
***All non-essential retail and services must close from 6pm on 31 December.
***People must stay at home except for work, education or other essential purposes, and will be allowed to exercise within 5 km of home.
* 31 December – A further 1,620 cases (including 2 probable cases) and 12 deaths were reported, bringing the totals to 91,779 cases and 2,237 deaths. 1 previously notified death was de-notified.
References
External links
Letter sent to parents of those attending Scoil Chaitríona
{{Portal bar, COVID-19, Ireland, Medicine, Viruses
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic 2020