Govt Expected To Go Against NPHET Advice

An announcement about leaving level five restrictions is due ahead of the Toy Show this evening.

While NPHET's advised takeaway food and drink services only this month, it's expected Government will go against that.

NPHET had recommended either re-opening hospitality or strict rules on household gatherings.

Government's expected to opt for a bit of both, with gastropubs and restaurants expected to open at some stage in the coming weeks.

Hairdressers, gyms and non-essential shops can open next week but wet pubs aren't expected to at any stage.

Donal O'Keeffe of the Licensed Vintners' Association thinks it should be all or none;

"It's clear to us, Government can no longer hide behind NPHET.

"Any decision to separate out wet pubs from the rest of hospitality will be a purely political decision taken by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens.", he said.

Of the #COVID19 cases notified;
•162 are men / 171 are women
•64% are under 45 years of age
•The median age is 35 years old
•119 in Dublin, 29 in Kilkenny, 23 in Limerick, 20 in Donegal, 19 in Tipperary, 19 in Cork, with the remaining 106 spread across 19 other counties.

— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) November 26, 2020

It comes as three more people with Covid-19 have died.

There are  335 new cases confirmed, with 119 in Dublin.