Another summer of staycations it is, lads.
Holidays abroad are “not realistic this summer,” Dr Tony Holohan has warned.
The Chief Medical Officer has urged people against booking foreign holidays this summer as it is unlikely that Covid-19 cases will be low enough to do so.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) are continuing to advise against all non-essential travel “for the foreseeable future.”
Dr Holohan said during yesterday’s briefing that it is “not realistic” to imagine a summer where Irish people are jetting off to different countries.
“I don’t think we’re heading for a summer where millions of people from this part of the word can head to the beaches, other than the beaches in their own localities,” he said.
This comes as Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary defended the airline’s new ‘Jab and Go’ ad, encouraging Irish people to travel abroad over the summer.
He said that the tone of the ad is “completely fine”, and that it acts as “the perfect antidote” to RTÉ and NPHET’s “daily doses of pessimism.”
O’Leary also said that Ryanair will not be requiring proof of vaccination from intending passengers.
Dr Holohan responded to O’Leary’s criticism last night, saying he had “nothing but admiration” for him. However, he refuted O’Leary’s claim that his team are pushing “misinformation” about the virus.
“Overall we stand over the process, the information and the advice we’ve given,” he said.
