Social gatherings on St Patrick’s Day would ‘undermine all of the sacrifices’ the country has made in the fight against COVID-19, the Taoiseach has warned.
Micheál Martin is urging people to "make a special effort to mark the day in a COVID safe manner".
Tomorrow will mark the second St Patrick’s Day in a row where the traditional parades, parties and festivities aren't able to place due to the pandemic.
With the country still in level five lockdown, there are fears crowds will gather in the likes of Dublin city centre for 'takeaway pints'.
A major Garda operation is being launched, meanwhile, to prevent non-essential travel nationwide and police 'multiple protests' being planned for the capital.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said this year’s St Patrick’s Day comes with ‘added poignancy’ after thousands of COVID-19 deaths across the island of Ireland over the past year.
He said it's important people avoid congregation of 'any sort' due to the state of play with the coronavirus crisis.
He said: “We normally spend this day with our extended family and friends going to parades or to sporting events. Unfortunately, we cannot do this tomorrow.
“It is very important that people do not congregate or meet up for social gatherings in their homes or anywhere else.
"To do so would be to undermine all of the sacrifices we have made to date.”
The Taoiseach said the country’s at a crossroads, and it’s vital to keep the virus under control amid the ‘much more contagious’ variant that’s now dominant in Ireland.
He said the opportunity to celebrate St Patrick’s Day ‘will come again’, but for now everyone must continue observing the restrictions.
He said: “Lá Fhéile Pádraig is the day when the world honours the Irish people.
“There can be no better way to honour our people in 2021 than to stay focused and avoid another wave of infection with this terrible virus.”
