Mass gatherings of in excess of 5,000 people officially banned until the end of August

The news will impact massively on sporting fixtures, music festivals and other large-scale events planned for the summer months.

The government has confirmed that mass gatherings of in excess of 5,000 people are officially banned in Ireland until the end of August. In a statement on Tuesday, the Government, aware of the need for advance planning for such events, said that it had advised local authorities that events requiring licenses for in excess of 5,000 peple will not be considered for the period up until the end of August. Further advice will be issued in advance of 5 May, the date to which the current guidelines in place to combat the spread of Covid-19 were recently extended. As a result, sporting events such as the GAA Championships, music festivals, one-off concerts and other medium-to-large-scale events due to take place in that time will have to be rearranged. “All mass gatherings have been restricted since 24 March,” the government statement read. “Further health advice will be updated in advance of 5 May. “However, there are a number of large-scale future events which require licensing and the involvement of the HSE and Garda Síochána, and public consultation in that licensing process which fall to be determined in advance of that by local authorities. “While the issue of restrictions on future mass gatherings is a decision to be taken by the NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team), in the case of these particular events, and taking account of the impacts on the integrity of the licensing process in the short-term due to restrictions on stakeholder involvement, local authorities have been advised by Government that event promoters should be informed that events requiring licences in excess of 5,000 will not be considered for the period up to the end of August. “This will be kept under review in line with NPHET advice on mass gatherings more generally.”