"The situation at the moment is international travel of a non-essential nature is not safe".
Fresh doubts have been cast over potential Christmas homecomings as Tony Holohan issued a new warning regarding international travel to Ireland.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Holohan warned that "movement of populations around areas with high experience of this disease particularly Europe and North America in and out of this country is not safe."
Answering questions from Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe, the Chief Medical Officer said that it is too soon to know for sure whether it will be a viable option, referencing the fact the country is in a very different place today compared to two weeks ago.
When asked about whether a new traffic light system could be a potential way of operating, he said that "The vast majority of countries are red and getting redder."
He continued: "That’s the current situation. That’s the reason we’re concerned about international travel at this point in time."
Holohan said that he expects to know more closer to Christmas, and that it will be something that will be discussed at length, understanding that many families have not seen each other in a long time.
Speaking on Monday night's press briefing, Holohan said that the country has seen a decrease in infection, but that "we still have a long way to go".
