He said that the risk of a “super-spreader event” following the game is very low.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that it’s unlikely 60,000 people will be allowed at the upcoming All-Ireland Final at Croke Park.
Under plans confirmed by Government on Tuesday, 75% of capacity will be available for vaccinated individuals at outdoor events.
This could see the number of people allowed to attend the final rise from 40,000 to more than 60,000. However, Donnelly said on Wednesday that it’s unlikely the change will take place ahead of the GAA Football Final between Mayo and Tyrone on 11 September.
He said that it is “unlikely” that capacity at Croke Park would be significantly increased for the game, adding that there are currently no plans to limit attendance to only those who have been vaccinated.
“I would say it is unlikely, what we had was an agreement on 50% capacity, so about 40,000 vaccinated or unvaccinated,” he told RTE.
“The view is 60,000 fully vaccinated, which in my view is probably a lower risk than 40,000 people [not all vaccinated].
“90% of the adult population is already fully vaccinated, so if you had an adult population in Croke Park regardless the vast, vast majority of people in there are fully vaccinated.”
Donnelly added that the risk of a “super-spreader event” being caused due to the numbers of people at the stadium were low. However, he said that there may be outbreaks in the counties that qualify for the final due to people congregating in pubs and houses to watch the match.
40,000 fans attended the All-Ireland Hurling Final earlier this month, the largest crowd at an event in Ireland since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scenes around the final received a strong reaction at the time, particularly from representatives of the live events industry.
Following the game, Gardaí also said they were investigating an alleged breach of Covid-19 regulations at a pub in the Croke Park area following the match.
Main Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie.
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