Masks should be worn on public transport this winter but will not be made mandatory, says Donnelly

Everyone should be wearing masks on buses, trains, and trams, in advance of an expected surge in Covid-19 cases this winter, but they will not be mandatory, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said.

A new public information campaign urging people to wear masks on public transport is expected soon.

It comes at a time when there has been a significant increase in hospital admissions of those diagnosed with Covid.

Last week, a Department of Health report said legislation was being prepared for the potential reintroduction of some Covid-19 public health measures “in certain circumstances” as a precaution.

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Ten European countries have issued recent recommendations on the use of face coverings. A number require them to be used on transport and other key settings, while some countries are allowing mandates to expire.

However, Mr Donnelly told the Sunday Independent there were no plans to make mask wearing mandatory by law this winter.

The HSE’s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said on Sunday he was “strongly advising people” to wear masks on public transport.

Mask-wearing “may well become obligatory, depending on the patterns” of the virus, Dr Henry told RTÉ's This Week programme,

However, Mr Donnelly said there was “no expectation” of new restrictions being introduced.

The Minister also said there were no plans to give a second Covid-19 vaccine booster to the under-50s.

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it was up to the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to make recommendations on extending the Covid-19 booster vaccine to those under 50 years of age,

“Niac will make continuing assessments” but at the moment there was no indication booster vaccines would be extended to younger age cohorts, he said at an event in Kildare on Sunday.

The decision was based on “the nature of Covid right now, and the degree of protection that other people have” but it was “a matter for the National Immunisation Advisory Committee ultimately, to make recommendations in respect of any further extension of vaccination into younger age cohorts.”

Mr Donnelly and party leaders met the new chief medical officer Professor Breda Smyth last week and the “prevailing thought” is that authorities are focused on vaccinating those who need it most, he added.

“I’m hoping for a more normal Christmas” he said.

Projections in the HSE’s winter plan published last week make clear the scale of the problem expected over the coming months with public health officials warning the pandemic is not over and that up to 17,000 patients could be hospitalised with Covid-19 and 4,350 with flu.

As of Sunday morning, there were 446 confirmed cases in hospital, 50 new cases confirmed, and 15 cases confirmed in ICU.

The positive rate for Covid-19 tests was 14.6 per cent over the past seven days, out of some 16,000 tests completed.