Thread by @newschambers

Leo Varadkar: We're facing a peculiar situation...

"We're tightening restrictions at a time when hospital numbers are dropping and deaths are at a low level. The decisions today are going to be hard to understand..."

"I've been speaking to some members of the business community and want to clarify a few things. The 50% capacity doesn't apply to pubs, restaurants and hospitality. It applies to events."

No limit to length of stay at pub or restaurant.

Tánaiste making clear that the household visit limits is 'advice' - 'there will not be Gardaí calling to your home'.

Varadkar says to hospitality: "this is not the Christmas you expected". Accepts this is a "body blow" for the sector.

"Nobody in any way thinks that you are to blame."

Eamon Ryan now.

He says he was in Belgium and things are far stricter there.

"It's not full lockdown."

Sunday morning for the requirement for PCR/Antigen tests for travellers into Ireland.

Taoiseach asked about events going to 50% not being viable.

"It's going to be very difficult," he says. He says there will be supports to underpin them.

How in the name of god are we back here again?

Taoiseach: I understand fully the frustration we all have... We simply cannot wish the virus away. The vaccines have saved thousands and thousands of lives. He refers to potential need for more vaccines and trusting the science.

Varadkar says the question he's asking himself now is: "Will one more winter be enough?"

Varadkar says in future we need to seize the summer - we shouldn't have the toughest restrictions in Europe in 2022. "We need to prepare for future variants.... we'll run out of letters of the Greek alphabet."

Did not anticipate that we'd be talking about summer 2022.

Varadkar says he'll be telling NPHET we won't have a repeat of previous summers in this pandemic.

#New

Eamon Ryan says weddings can go ahead as planned.

"It's important we do have events like that... we do have to live with Covid."

Has the Government become too risk averse?

Varadkar: He says international peer reviewing of our modelling would be good. He says our most optimistic models have been too pessimistic. Modelling is all about the variables though. "It would be better if they were more right".

Varadkar on if Ireland's too risk averse.

"We have had tough restrictions but we also have some of the lowest mortality rates. That fact is down to the restrictions and the high take up of the vaccination programme."

"This Christmas is not the Christmas we thought it would be... it's better than last Christmas." There's a quote from Leo Varadkar.

I ask the Taoiseach if today is an admission of failure from the Government.

"Not at all. Not at all."

"That's a very unfair assessment," says Taoiseach after I point to fact that schools and businesses have been crying out for guidance on ventilation and support.

What's the plan then?

"This won't end with a big bang." He says there'll be more developments/variants/vaccines.

Guests at weddings will not be asked to have a vaccine pass.

On ventilation again, Taoiseach says there has been guidance to schools/businesses and cO2 monitors have been disrupted to classrooms. "The most effective ventilation is natural ventilation in terms of opening windows and such."

He says funding and resources are there.

Taoiseach on the short-to-medium plan. "Boosters are key". He says they await the full detail on the impact of Omicron. He says childhood vaccine programme will have impact (first arriving on 15 December).