October 22 is not "freedom day", the Tánaiste has warned. He said that a "very serious situation in hospitals" over the winter could see the plan slowed down. The Tánaiste warned that 'if there's a new variant that we're very concerned about, that will change the picture or, for example, we were in a very serious situation in terms of capacity and service, that could affect the plan'. "If there's a new variant that we're very concerned about, that will change the picture or, for example, we were in a very serious situation in terms of capacity and service, that could affect the plan," he said. “Our intention is, and the commitment from the HSE is, to have as open access as possible,” he said.

Source: Irish Examiner August 31, 2021 20:02 UTC