Minister for Culture, Tourism and the Arts Catherine Martin has announced that the traditional Irish St. Patrick's Day festival will be going ahead in March 2022 after a 2-year break caused by COVID-19.

Bars and restaurants will be able to remain open past 8 PM - a restriction put into place during the holiday season because of the surging Omicron variant - and customers won't have to show proof of vaccination or recovery. Nightclubs are open, and there will be no capacity limits on most venues. Home visits involving members of more than 2 households will again be permitted.

Face masks will still be required in public spaces including in shops and on transport until at least 28 February.

And a negative Covid test is still required for inbound or outbound international travel.

Daily new Coronavirus cases in Ireland peaked at 26,122 on 8 January. About 78% of the Irish population is now fully vaccinated, but penetration rate is lower among children under 12.