"I hope it won't be necessary to go to a complete lockdown" - WHO Special Envoy
The comments follow new restrictions being implemented on Tuesday night.
A Special Envoy for the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that he hopes it won't be necessary for Ireland to go into full lockdown.
David Nabarro shared his concern about the possibility of a lockdown on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne show on Wednesday (17 November).
“I think there will be some restrictions but I hope it won’t be necessary to go to a complete lockdown,” he said.
The WHO Special Envoy spoke about booster vaccines, and whether or not they may be a regular occurrence going forward.
“We do not know enough about this virus to be able to say with certainty how often we will need boosters….we are still having to hedge our bets,” Nabarro added.
The comments come after an interview with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on Morning Ireland on Wednesday, where he refused to rule out that a lockdown would happen over the Christmas period.
"We want to do everything we can to keep everything open... No one can answer that question now," Donnelly said.
Further restrictions will be implemented in the country from midnight on Thursday (18 November), including a midnight curfew for licensed premises, Covid vaccine passes for theatres and cinemas and household contacts restricting their movements if someone in the house tests positive for the virus.
